The first new nuclear reactor for a British power station in more than 30 years has arrived.
This is a significant milestone for the Hinkley Point C development in Somerset. Already 8,000 people are working at the construction site.
The reactor has been made by Framatome in France and comes from the same factory that made the last nuclear reactor for a British power station in 1995. This was for Sizewell B, in Suffolk.
Video shows the Hinkley Point C reactor’s journey to Somerset (Credit: Hinkley Point C)
The reactor pressure vessel weighs 500 tonnes and is 13m long. It will create heat needed to make steam for the world’s largest turbines.
It is the first of two nuclear reactors that will be installed at Hinkley. Each reactor will help provide low-carbon electricity for 3 million homes.
The reactor first arrived at Avonmouth Docks in Bristol and was transported by barge to Combwich Wharf on the River Parrett in Somerset.
The final four miles of the trip took five hours as the huge piece of equipment was carried by a transporter to its permanent home.
