New video shows Hinkley Point C Ready for Dome Lift
New pictures show Hinkley Point C’s progress as teams at the new nuclear power station get ready to lift the domed roof onto the second reactor building this summer.
The images show that construction of Unit 1’s buildings is almost complete, as the installation of equipment accelerates inside. Meanwhile the second unit, which was stopped during the pandemic, is catching up with its 245-tonne dome due to be lifted over the summer. This will allow it to move into its fit-out phase.
Progress has been helped by a transformation in the way the power station is being built with prefabrication in civil construction now approaching 60%, effectively making Hinkley Point C a “Large Modular Reactor”. More factories on and off site mean larger giant pieces are being lifted into place with big productivity gains, like the recent 170 tonne staircase “megalift” or using crane Big Carl to lift in completed rooms in one piece.
The experience gained by the team means Unit 2 is faster to build than Unit 1. At dome lift for Unit 2, the second reactor building will be further ahead with more equipment installed than at the same point on Unit 1. For example, on Unit 2’s civil construction, fewer people on site will have achieved 40% more work than on Unit 1. The amount of structural steel inside the building will be almost 300 tonnes versus just 10, and 44 of the radiation-proof “neutron” doors will have been installed versus 24 at the same point for Unit 1. Assembling the huge polar crane is proving 40% faster.
Stuart Crooks, Chief Executive Officer of Hinkley Point C, said: “Prefabrication and modular construction are transforming the way we build the power station, with big gains for our second identical unit. The innovation and experience we are developing at Hinkley Point C will benefit our twin project at Sizewell C from the start.
“We have trained a new workforce and built the nuclear supply chain. Now those skilled workers and businesses can give Britain the energy security and economic growth it needs at Sizewell C, together with Small Modular Reactors and future large nuclear plants.”
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About EDF
EDF is driving the transition towards An Electric Britain – a secure, affordable, low-carbon future for everyone. As Britain’s biggest generator of zero carbon electricity, we are investing more than £100 million weekly in Britain’s electricity infrastructure. We supply millions of customers with electricity and help homes and businesses switch to electricity for heating, transport and industrial processes.
We operate five nuclear power stations and more than 35 onshore wind farms and three offshore wind farms. Since 2009, EDF has invested almost £9 billion in the nuclear fleet to improve reliability and extend station lifetimes. The five generating stations currently supply about 12% of the UK’s electricity demand.
EDF is building the UK's nuclear renaissance with the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C. We are a minority investor (12.5%) in and major supplier to a replica plant at Sizewell C in Suffolk. Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C will provide low carbon electricity to meet 14% of UK demand and power around 12 million homes. EDF Group companies Framatome and Arabelle Solutions have a presence in the UK and manufacture critical equipment such as reactor pressure vessels and turbines.
EDF is enabling its 5 million customers, both in business and at home, to choose electric solutions that save cash and carbon, whether it is buying an electric car, generating and storing electricity, selling energy back to the grid or installing solar panels or a heat pump. In 2025, EDF’s Customers business was ranked as one of the Sunday Times’s Best Place to Work.
It is also one of the UK’s leading developers of renewable energy through EDF power solutions UK and Ireland. We have more than 2GW of renewable generation in operation and over 10GW in construction, planning and development across a range of technologies including onshore and offshore wind, solar and battery storage.
We are one of the largest suppliers to British business and a leading supplier of innovative energy solutions that are helping businesses become more energy independent. In addition, the company’s energy services business, Dalkia, is one of the UK and Ireland’s largest technical service providers.
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