In 2011 I stood at Hinkley Point B looking across empty fields while EDF executives talked about a new nuclear station they hoped would one day rise beside it.
Back then Hinkley Point C still felt like an idea. Fifteen years later I went back and toured the site with Delivery Director Simon Parsons — and the scale of what now stands there is almost impossible to process.
This was supposed to be the moment Britain rebooted nuclear.
Hinkley Point C was originally expected to start generating power in 2025. It is now targeting 2030 for Unit One after years of redesigns, delays, Covid disruption and spiralling costs. Yet walking around the vast site you begin to understand why this project became so complicated.
Simon pointed towards the giant circular structures dominating the skyline and told me: “These are European Pressurised Reactors. We’re building two EPR units here and each one will generate around 1.6GW. Together the station will power around 7 million homes.”
Then you realise this is not just a power station. It is effectively a new industrial sector being rebuilt from scratch in Britain.
Simon explained: “What we’ve had to do is rebuild capability in the UK. Nuclear new build at this scale hadn’t happened for decades so we’ve had to create the workforce, create the skills and create the supply chain while also building the station itself.”
That challenge became even harder during Covid. At one stage the workforce dropped dramatically and schedules slipped badly. Simon told me: “We had to redesign sequencing, redesign how work was delivered and deal with restrictions nobody could have predicted. We recognise the delays. We are very conscious of that.”
But the numbers remain staggering. Around 14,000 people now work on site across a 24-hour operation. Thousands more are in the wider supply chain. Simon said: “What Hinkley has done is give people opportunities again. Apprenticeships, engineering, welding, logistics, project management. We’re creating the people who will go on to build the next stations.”
That next part matters. Because for EDF and the wider nuclear sector Hinkley Point C is not just about electricity. It is the template for Sizewell C and whatever comes after that.
Simon put it bluntly: “Hinkley has created the skill base to build nuclear in the UK again.”
Fifteen years ago I looked at muddy fields. Today it looks like Britain trying to rebuild an entire industry and one I think will be a vital part of the mix. Let me know your thoughts, watch the video or listen to the full podcast and please subscribe.
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