Big Carl lifting final steel liner ring at Hinkley Point C

/ 23 October 2024 / 0 Comments

The third and final liner ring has been lifted into place by giant crane, Big Carl, at Hinkley Point C’s second reactor building.

Engineering teams were able to lift the 423-tonne steel liner ring into place this afternoon, Monday 14 October.

It is the third and final ring to be installed on the building, which will be home to one of Hinkley Point C’s two nuclear reactors. The steel ring, which is 11.6-metres in height and 47-metres in diameter, forms part of the inner containment wall of the reactor building and will now be encased in two layers of concrete.

The liner ring was prefabricated in a factory on site and also features supporting brackets for the Polar Crane Beam. This internal crane will rotate 360° above the reactor and be used for refuelling.

The reactor building now only has the ‘lid’ to be placed on top, with the dome lift scheduled for next year.

The first reactor building was capped with its own dome last December and is ready for the Reactor to be installed later this year.

Big Carl’s latest lift highlights the progress being made at Hinkley Point C, where teams are using the learnings from building the first reactor unit to achieve efficiencies typically of between 20% and 30% on unit 2.

The power station will supply 6-million homes with clean, homegrown energy and is crucial in helping the UK avoid another energy crisis.

Employer

EDF Energy

EDF is leading the transition to a cleaner, low emission electric future, tackling climate change and helping Britain achieve Net Zero. We are Britain’s biggest generator of zero carbon electricity. Our fleet of nuclear power stations have generated enough low carbon electricity to supply all homes in the UK for more than 19 years. EDF is leading the UK's nuclear renaissance with the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C, and plans for a new power station at Sizewell C in Suffolk. Nuclear power is the most reliable, low-carbon energy source currently available to the UK. EDF is playing a key role in the development of nuclear sites, while Hinkley Point C will provide low-carbon electricity to meet 7% of the UK demand. The project is already making a positive impact on the local and national economy as well as boosting skills and education.