International infrastructure group Balfour Beatty has been chosen by EDF Energy as preferred bidder for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station tunnelling and marine works package.
The contract is the second major package secured by Balfour Beatty for the proposed £18bn ($23.4bn) Hinkley Point C nuclear project in Somerset, UK.
Under the four year package, Balfour Beatty will be responsible for the construction of three marine tunnels totalling more than 9.5km in length and 7 metres in diameter.
The tunnels, which will be constructed on both onshore and offshore, will form part of the vital cooling system required for the 3.2GW Hinkley Point C project.
Balfour Beatty’s major projects business managing director Stephen Tarr said: “With our nuclear heritage dating back to the 1950s, reaching preferred bidder status on our second major package of works at Hinkley Point C is testament to both our expert engineering skills and our in-depth market knowledge.”
In 2015, Balfour Beatty, in joint venture with NG Bailey, secured £460m electrical works package for the nuclear power plant.
UK's engineering solutions provider Costain has been dropped by EDF for the £200m tunnelling and marine package at Hinkley Point C.
Costain is said to be working for the contract since 2013. However, EDF said that it had never signed a deal with Costain for the contract.
An EDF spokesman was quoted by The Construction Index as saying: “Following a competitive process, the Hinkley Point C project team has awarded preferred bidder status to Balfour Beatty for the contract to construct the cooling water intake and outfall pipes for the station.”
In September last year, the UK Government had given its approval for the long-delayed Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.
Featuring two reactors, the nuclear project is expected to create up to 25,000 jobs and supply power to about six million homes. It is planned to be commissioned by 2025.
Image: Illustration of the Hinkley Point C nuclear project in the UK. Photo: courtesy of EDF Energy.