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EDF has launched a new company which will provide engineering activities for nuclear power projects in Britain.
EDF EPR Engineering UK is a subsidiary of Edvance SAS and part of EDF Group. It will provide expertise to UK European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) projects.
This includes providing engineering and design support for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in Somerset, and it is already ramping up to do the same for Sizewell C in Suffolk.
It is hoped the new company will boost efficiency and provide quicker decision making during the construction of the plants, as well as developing Britain’s nuclear engineering capability.
Writing on LinkedIn Catherine Back, chief executive of the new entity, said: “Our commitment to supporting UK new nuclear projects, particularly Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C, remains unwavering.
“The creation of this company reflects our belief in the potential of these projects and our commitment to growth and investment in this field.
“We are supporting the Hinkley Point C construction, and will take those learnings to support the Sizewell C replication and also to support the new nuclear programme of EDF in France.”
A new video released by Hinkley Point C gives viewers a virtual tour of the site, where each day 10,000 workers are approaching the next major engineering milestone, the lifting of a 245-tonne steel dome to close the first reactor building.
It comes as Lord Howell, who secured Sizewell B power station when energy secretary in Margaret Thatcher’s government, recently suggested that the UK’s nuclear programme should prioritise small modular reactors.
Speaking at a House of Lords debate, he said that the country’s nuclear power programme is at a “crossroad” with the government at risk of taking the wrong path forwards.
“Smaller nuclear power plants, ready much sooner, offer far the best hope in our net zero ambitions, based on new technology, on streamlined approval procedures, which are certainly needed, and, above all, primarily on private finance,” the Conservative peer said.
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