The approval formalises the selection of Balfour Beatty Bailey for Early Contractor Involvement for the first nuclear power station to be built in the UK for more than 20 years. The joint venture was awarded preferred bidder status for the £460 million contract for the electrical package for Hinkley Point C, on behalf of EDF Energy in July 2015.
The 50:50 joint venture will work across both proposed Hinkley Point C units to deliver the infrastructure that will power the station and its operations, creating 1,000 jobs including many specialist engineers.
Works will include the design and installation of circa 76,000 cables totalling over 3,000km in length; over 180km of cable containment support systems; fire and environmental sealing; design and installation of earthing systems, and specialist packages associated with data acquisition and plant control. Balfour Beatty Bailey will deliver a lasting local legacy with a significant proportion of the new workforce recruited locally, 60 local apprenticeships and training commitments and partnerships with local colleges.
David Hurcomb, Balfour Beatty Bailey Executive Sponsor said: “Balfour Beatty and NG Bailey have been working together for the last six years to develop a compelling proposition for the UK’s nuclear new build programme.
"We are delighted that the project has received final approval from the Government. Our involvement in this project will allow Balfour Beatty Bailey to become a leading team in the nuclear new build arena – a sector in which both companies have extensive experience, having both worked on the first nuclear power station to be built in the UK at Calder Hall and, the last, at Sizewell B."
Hinkley Point C, which will be located on the Somerset coast, will be the first nuclear power station to be built in the UK for a generation. The two new nuclear reactors that form the station will provide reliable, low carbon electricity to power almost six million homes.