GE has received approval for the $1.9bn contract to supply conventional power islands for the EDF Energy’s £18bn ($23.7bn) Hinkley Point C nuclear power project in Somerset, UK.
The approval follows the recent UK government’s green light for the development of the 3.2GW nuclear project upon completion of six-week review.
Under the contract, GE will supply the power islands, which are expected to deliver clean energy required to power approximately 6 million homes in the UK.
The power conventional island comprises the Arabelle steam turbine, generator, and other critical equipment.
GE Steam Power Systems president and CEO Andreas Lusch said: “The Arabelle turbine represents six decades of nuclear steam turbine expertise and it’s the most powerful turbine in the world by output.”
Work under the contract will be carried out from GE’s Steam Power Systems Global Center of Excellence in Belfort, France.
Upon commissioning in 2025, the Hinkley Point C project is expected to meet 7% of electricity needs in the UK for 60 years.
The project will feature two turbines, each with a gross generating capacity of 1,770MW.
As part of an early contractor involvement agreement, GE has been working with EDF Energy for more than six months.
The deal includes safety classification studies, planning, civil works interfaces, pre-engineering and procurement planning.
The project is expected to create up to 25,000 jobs and will be the country’s first new nuclear plant in more than 20 years.
Image: Illustration of the Hinkley Point C nuclear project in the UK. Photo: courtesy of EDF Energy.