The reactor took several days to install (Image: EDF)
A major reactor has been installed in a £46 billion , the first to be built in Britain in 30 years.
It’s one of two reactors that will create a nuclear chain reaction to when it opens in 2030.
Hundreds of engineers and construction staff manoeuvred a 500-tonne steel reactor into position over several days.
Matt Abbott, who led the installation team, said: “It was a huge operation for all the teams involved. This is the heart of the plant.”
The 13 metre (42.6 ft) unit is made with 25cm thick steel, and will stay in operation for 60 years, potentially more. It will use nuclear fission to split radioactive uranium, creating a powerful chain reaction.
Temperatures will soar at an average 300 degrees and pressure inside will reach 155 bar, similar to flying at an altitude of about 50,000 meters (50 kilometers), five times higher than a commercial airplane.
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It’s Britain’s first nuclear plant to be built in 30 years (Image: EDF)
It took 12 hours to winch the steel cyclinder up the side of the reactor, before moving it along rails and through a hatch, rotating it 90 degrees and lowering it onto the base.
praised the move: “Getting Hinkley up and running to produce clean power for six million homes will be a win for our long-term energy independence.”
Now scheduled to open in 2030, the plant faced a five year delay due to , supply chains and political debates, and costs since 2017 predictions have risen from £18 billion to £46 billion.
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The reactor was produced over six years in France by Framatome, owned by EDF, which is owned by the French state.
It’s set to power 25 metre steam generators, and drive turbines with the longest blades ever made.