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The former rail chief now minding the (construction) gap at Sizewell.

 The former rail chief now minding the (construction) gap at Sizewell. Rob
Holden, chairman of the Suffolk nuclear plant, says the increasing time
between the start of construction at Hinkley Point and spades in the ground
at Sizewell is a worry.

The delays and swelling cost of building Hinkley
Point C, Britain’s first new nuclear power plant in more than two
decades, may not necessarily be a bad omen for its sister station.
According to Rob Holden, the non-executive chairman of Sizewell C, “good
projects start well and get better, bad projects start badly and get worse.
While Sizewell is a replication, technically, of Hinkley, it is a very
different project.”

Thus far Hinkley Point is running up to £28 billion
over budget and is six years past its initial deadline. That has spurred
speculation that Sizewell could be beset by the same troubles. Holden, who
has led the Sizewell C board since the end of 2022, disagrees. The power
plant, which is due to be built on the Suffolk coast, has an “as-built
design”, which should mean far fewer changes than its predecessor to the
west and less time and money lost. Its developers know the quantities of
kit needed and have already been making efforts to procure it.

Nevertheless, for Holden, a widening gap between the start of construction
at Hinkley Point and spades in the ground at Sizewell is a worry. The
project is owned 50-50 by EDF and the government, but they are hoping to
bring in private investment. A final investment decision is slated for
before the end of the year. “What I do know now is that we can’t afford
to allow the time gap to be more than what it currently is between the two
projects, otherwise we will lose the replication benefits.”

 Times 26th April 2024

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-former-rail-chief-now-minding-the-construction-gap-at-sizewell-vm5tnxj6w

April 29, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, technology, UK