Big Modular Approach Pays Dividends at Hinkley Point C

Hinkley Point C’s new factories in Bristol are providing evidence of the significant productivity boost from modular construction. This means building ever larger pieces of the power station in satellite factories and lifting them into place with some of the world’s largest cranes.

Laing O’Rourke’s new factory in Bristol Port is producing the large steel reinforcement cages that strengthen concrete, cutting installation time on site by 75% and manufacturing time by 20%. Workers, mostly from the South-West or South Wales, benefit from reduced travel with no need to live away from home, making the industry more attractive to the next generation of nuclear workers. Finished products are shipped directly to Hinkley Point’s jetty, reducing local road traffic.

This method enhances production capacity, accelerates the civil building programme, and reduces manual handling, creating a safer, healthier, and more efficient working environment.

Recent Examples of Modular Construction:

• Steel Rebar: A new rebar factory in Avonmouth improves precision and speed, with no non-conformances reported.
• Stainless-Steel Tanks: Prefabricated modules for cooling water tanks are being assembled at Framatome’s new factory in Avonmouth.
• Loading Pit Prefabrication: The heaviest load to date, a 1,305-tonne structure used in fuel handling, was made in an on-site bunker and lifted into place by Big Carl, the world’s largest crane.

Stuart Crooks, Hinkley Point C Managing Director, highlights this model as a game-changer for the nuclear sector: 

The manufacturing model we’ve established here will be good for Hinkley Point C, great for Sizewell C, and sets a whole new direction for the nuclear sector.