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Built in Britain

Hinkley Point C may be in Somerset, but it’s being built by companies and workers from across the country.

The Hinkley Point C project team worked hard so that UK businesses were able to compete for and win contracts – whether it’s supplying thousands of tonnes of Welsh steel or the hi-tech nuclear components being built on Teesside. For example, more than 125 companies in Yorkshire and the Humber are already part of the Hinkley Point C supply chain. Every region is benefitting from the construction of the UK’s first nuclear plant in a generation.

For many companies, the contracts are helping them gain new skills and expertise which is boosting their competitiveness and the nation’s industrial capacity. Although some very specialist large components can’t be made in Britain, 64% of the construction value of the project will be spent with UK companies. British businesses supporting new nuclear range from big to many small and medium enterprises. Their appetite to succeed, innovate and deliver to a very high quality is impressive.

Our proposal for a near identical project, Sizewell C in Suffolk, would bring similar UK-wide benefits – not only to the UK supply chain, but also through employment opportunities, skills and training provision, the creation of 1,500 apprenticeships and investment in local infrastructure.

Explore Hinkley Point C’s supply chain in your area

The interactive map below allows you to explore Hinkley Point C’s supply chain across a range of regional areas – from smaller political constituencies to wider regional areas across the UK. Simply start typing the name of the area you wish to explore in the appropriate box.

The map displays the location of contractors engaged in the construction of Hinkley Point C and a full summary of spend to date in the area can be accessed by clicking on the central orange circle.

Zoom in and out of the map to adjust the scale as suppliers clustered together in a small geographic area will at first be aggregated together (double click left or right on your mouse to zoom in or out).

*The interactive map represents an ever expanding snapshot of Hinkley Point C’s supply chain and is not an exhaustive list of companies and contracts – it provides a conservative estimate of the direct spend into defined geographic areas – with the full figure likely to be far higher. Due to the importance of the South West and Wales, we have undertaken significant additional research into the full economic benefit to the regions. As a result, we have been able to delve deeper into the contracts that have been awarded, giving us a more realistic figure.

Case studies

North West

Based across the North of England in Warrington and Immingham, Bilfinger UK supports major infrastructure developments across the oil and gas, energy and power, nuclear and chemical/pharmaceutical sectors.

Bilfinger has already benefitted from over £400 million in contracts that will see it lead the fabrication and installation works for the Nuclear Steam Supply System (NSSS) – one of the most vital systems of the power system. In addition, Bilfinger is expected to design, prefabricate and install additional supporting components and auxiliary systems.

As part of the work, Bilfinger plans to create 350 new UK jobs and manufacture specialised, high quality pipework in the UK - boosting UK industrial capacity and manufacturing capability.

North East

Darchem is a world class engineering company based in Stillington in the North East of England. A £90 million contract from Hinkley Point C is ensuring that valuable skills are maintained and developed within the region.

Darchem designs, manufactures and installs high integrity, RCC-M nuclear standard stainless steel and titanium components as well as thermal insulation systems.

The company is producing sub-surface lines and pre-fabricated fuel storage pond and reactor refuelling pool liners. These are being manufactured at its own factory in Stillington. The pre-fabrication of pond-liners is proven to reduce schedule risk having saved 6 months during the construction of Sizewell B.

Wales

Based in Bridgend, South Wales, Vessco Engineering was founded to support local industry and specialises in the manufacture of pressure vessels and process equipment.

In a range of contracts totalling approximately £15 million, Vessco will produce pressure vessels and associated components for Hinkley Point C at its own facility in Bridgend. The components are the largest and most complex items produced in the area for many decades.

Find out how we're supporting people and businesses in Wales.

In turn, Vessco is supporting other South Wales based businesses in orders of around £100k.

The Hinkley Point C opportunity has allowed Vessco to almost double its workforce and provides stability for additional growth and development.

The company has employed additional apprentices to support the Hinkley Point C work and additional training provision is contributing to wider up-skilling of the workforce, particularly in nuclear standards.

Midlands

Based in Aldridge, West Midlands, Special Formwork is an SME that specialises in the design and manufacture of steel formworks for the casting of concrete. To date, the company has benefitted from HPC contracts worth approximately £1.5 million.

In addition to vertical formwork across HPC, the company developed an innovative remote control travelling formwork system for the construction of the 750m-long sea wall – essential given the extreme tidal conditions.

All formwork is manufactured, assembled and trialled at Specialist Formworks' UK facility, saving valuable time on-site.

Fifteen members of staff at Specialist Formwork are working on Hinkley Point C-specific work. They have been up-skilled to undertake the greater complexities of a nuclear project but specifically, investment has allowed growth of 3D design (software and personnel) and hydraulic systems.

South West

North Somerset company, Osprey, provides marine and heavy logistics support to the Hinkley Point C project, with contracts currently totalling £5 million.  

In addition to safely delivering the tunnel boring machines, Osprey has handled thousands of tonnes of structural steelwork for the 500m-long jetty that has been built out into the Bristol Channel.

Osprey has also undertaken work packages for both Sizewell C and Bradwell B, transferring expertise and learning from HPC to benefit the development of the next fleet of the UK’s nuclear power stations  – demonstrating how local companies are supporting global projects.

East of England

Essex firm, Ovivo UK Limited, was awarded a £27 million contract to supply the largest cooling water intake screening system in the world for Hinkley Point C.

Ovivo UK Limited will design and supply a complete cooling water intake screening system, processing more than 191 cubic meters per second of water that will be used for cooling both the electricity generating steam-cycle and the EPR technology used at HPC.

Highlights

Here are some examples of how Hinkley Point C's spend to date with UK suppliers can be broken down on a regional basis.

Scotland

£101m

North West

£745m

North East

£86m

Yorkshire & Humber

£151m

Midlands

£385m

South West

£2.2bn

Wales

£165m

East of England

£1bn

Realising the socio-economic benefits

Hinkley Point C is making incredible progress on-site in terms of construction. But we are also working hard to make sure the project benefits are accessible to people and businesses across the south west and the rest of the UK. The benefits range from increasing local employment, to the development of a sustainable regional supply chain and the advancement of new training facilities and qualifications.

Our socio-economic report, which is released anually, details some of the wider benefits the project is delivering. The report also shows how we’re meeting the ambitious targets that we set at the beginning of the project and builds on our growing reputation for doing what we said we would.

  • £3.5bn spent with companies in the South West to date
  • 22,000 people in Britain working on the project
  • 800 apprentices trained on the project to date
  • £123m of community investment delivered to date

Contact us

The best way to contact us about Hinkley Point C is by completing our online enquiry form. You can also call us on 0333 009 7070 (24 hour free phone number).

For EDF's 24/7 media enquiry line call 01452 652233.

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