There are few organisations in Suffolk packing the same level of punch as Sizewell C today.
The under construction nuclear power station, which is based close to the small town of Leiston, is anticipated to meet 7% of the United Kingdom’s energy needs for at least 60 years and will have the capabilities to power the equivalent of approximately six million homes. Sizewell C is also creating thousands of local jobs and is expected to contribute around £4 billion to the regional economy – nearly £1 billion has already been spent in the East of England since construction began two years ago.
Building from Hinkley Point C
Sizewell C is a second-of-a-kind project and is following in the footsteps of Hinkley Point C (HPC), located in Somerset. Sizewell C will replicate HPC’s execution design, safety case and supply chain in order to secure the greatest efficiencies and benefits for customers, investors and the UK nuclear sector. As a result, it will help Sizewell C to reduce construction risk, lower costs and ensure that UK nuclear skills and capacity are not only preserved but enhanced.
Indeed, Sizewell C will use the exact same design as HPC in its build of the third and fourth in a series of UK European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) reactors. Malcolm Dare, Sizewell C’s Executive Director, Commercial, explains that Sizewell C’s aim was ‘intelligent replication’ rather than a complete redesign and beginning at over 80% design maturity was a major help.
“What this meant was that Sizewell C could adopt improved techniques to build it more quickly and efficiently,” Dare tells us. “For example, what Hinkley have migrated to is they are now building the rebar cages offsite and then crane the built rebar cage into the position before you then shutter it and pour the concrete. This means that by changing how we build the design, we can ultimately be more efficient. The reason we could do that is we replicated the design, but changed the methods of construction that allows us to do it far more efficiently.
“If you can build a rebar cage in a well-lit, warm environment, you build it more quickly to a higher quality with a higher safety performance and less risk for safety implications, so you then just have to move it and create it into position. Ultimately, it should mean your whole build schedule becomes quicker. The importance of replication of the design and having 80% maturity gives a certainty of what we have to do. It allows us to really refine and hone the construction technique to build it to the correct standard.”
Social value
Sizewell and the wider East Anglian area has been a hub of nuclear excellence and expertise for almost 60 years. Since the commissioning of Sizewell A power station back in 1966, generations of local people have served business contracts or worked high-skilled jobs at Sizewell’s two nuclear power stations. That base will help Sizewell C to benefit from the legacy of collaboration between the predecessor nuclear power stations and the business community.
One of the biggest focus areas for Sizewell C is social value. The organisation is passionate about bringing lasting change for the better to the local community. As a small town of approximately 6,000 people, Leiston will be well aware of developments at neighbouring Sizewell with an estimated workforce of up to 8,000 workers when full construction is underway, with many of those people travelling through the town and staying in the local area.
It is a key reason why Sizewell feels a duty to give back to the local community and leave a positive lasting legacy. One of those initiatives will be the construction of a new sixth form college for Leiston in a move that is hoped to transform higher education access in the area long-term. Delivered in partnership with Suffolk New College, it is set to be an extension of the current local provision and will be known as ‘College On the Coast’. The college is just one element of the education offering planned by Sizewell C – which also includes the likes of an apprenticeship hub and centre of excellence – and other academic and training partners will be invited to support the long-term vision for the site.