GE Power and EDF Energy Progress on Hinkley Point C Nuclear Project to Supply 6 Million UK Households with Clean Power

GE Power’s Steam Power and EDF Energy, a fully-owned subsidiary of the EDF Group, the UK’s largest producer of low-carbon electricity, have reached a key project milestone with the start of the manufacturing activities on the first rotor of the ARABELLE steam turbine at GE’s Belfort, France centre of excellence for the Hinkley Point C (HPC) project. The contract, awarded in May 2016, is on track to have its first 1,770 MW EPR reactor unit completed by 2025.

HPC is UK’s first nuclear power station built in more than twenty years, located in Bridgwater, Somerset. With an increase in power plants retirement by 2030, the need for additional energy supply to secure the UK grid was critical. Once in operation, HPC is expected to deliver more than 3.2 GW to the grid, enough to cover 6 million homes, and avoid 9 million tons of CO2 emissions each year.

The steam turbine rotor is a key component to any powerplant as it allows to transfer the turbine rotating movement to the generator, enabling the electrical output. The start of the first line rotor manufacturing at GE’s Belfort, France center of excellence represents a key milestone in the execution of the HPC project, enabling the manufacturing process of further turbine components.

“We are very pleased with the progress of the Hinkley Point C project. We are on track with the project, which is expected to deliver around 7% of the UK’s power generation capacity for the next 60 years” said Matthias Schweinfest, Senior Executive Business Operations at GE Power’s Steam Power. “GE’s ARABELLE steam turbine, which represents 6 decades of nuclear steam turbine expertise, is the prime solution to ensure deliver clean, reliable power that will bolster the UK’s energy infrastructure.”

GE will supply the two conventional power islands for HPC, which include the ARABELLE steam turbine, generator, and other critical equipment. The ARABELLE steam turbine wasted no time in setting a record at HPC. Already the largest steam turbine in operation for the past 10 years, the ARABELLE produces 2% more power output than a traditional configuration and has a 99.96% reliability rate. HPC’s ARABELLE turbines will be the largest ever built—longer than an Airbus 380 —and capable of producing 1,770 MW each.