Jetty delivering on low-carbon
Hinkley Point C’s new jetty is now operational and is helping to keep lorries off Somerset roads and reduce the impact of construction traffic in the local area.
The first shipload of 6,000 tonnes of gravel and sand was delivered by the Aastun motor vessel, 32 miles along the Bristol Channel from Avonmouth to site.
Each shipment is the equivalent of 300 lorry journeys. In total, more than 70,000 tonnes of materials have come in via the jetty already. Over the course of its life, the jetty is expected to handle the equivalent of 100,000 lorry loads. Other large loads are being delivered by sea to Combwich Wharf on the River Parrett.
Most of the aggregate used in the site’s construction comes from Hanson’s Whatley Quarry near Frome. From there it is transported by rail to Avonmouth before being shipped to Hinkley Point C.
Will Barker, Hinkley Point C’s Harbour Master, said: “The new jetty is part of our plan for efficient construction with reduced environmental impact.”
As well as using local aggregates, Hinkley Point C is cutting the CO2 impact of its concrete by using recycled industrial materials in its mix, such as ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS). GGBS is a by-product from steel manufacturing plants in South Wales which would usually be discarded as a waste product.