黑洞社区

The main construction work on EDF鈥檚 拢10bn Hinkley Point nuclear power station is not now expected to start until mid-2015, some 18 months later than currently scheduled, 黑洞社区 understands.

The main 拢2bn programme of civils work on EDF鈥檚 Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant, to be undertaken by Laing O鈥橰ourke and Bouygues, is currently scheduled to begin in January 2014.

However, 黑洞社区 understands Dean and Dyball, a subsidiary of Balfour Beatty, which is set to build a crucial 拢50m temporary jetty for the project 鈥� one of the first packages to go onsite - has now been told to not to expect to start work on the jetty project until the end of the third quarter of 2014.

According to EDF鈥檚 most recent phasing timetable, published in July 2012, the main civils work is not expected to start until 9 months after the construction of the temporary jetty.

That means the start date for the main civils work is now unlikely to be until around mid-2015, and 黑洞社区 understands that contractors on the project are now working to his delayed timetable.

The news of the delay to the construction programme comes amid reports that a long-awaited deal between the government and EDF over the price of electricity generated from the power plant has now been agreed, with an announcement possible this week.

That announcement, along with reports that the China General Nuclear Power Group has taken a significant stake in the project, is expected to pave the way for EDF to make its final investment decision to proceed with the project.

Meanwhile, 黑洞社区 understands construction staff numbers at the Hinkley Point site have now fallen to below 35, from a peak of around 140, after EDF made a second round of cuts in April, while work on the 拢100m earthworks contract, being undertaken by a joint venture between Kier and Bam Nuttall, has also been put on a go-slow.

Paul Sheffield, chief executive of Kier, said although the contract for the job was signed a year ago the firm 鈥渉adn鈥檛 really started the work in earnest鈥�. 鈥淚t鈥檚 two years ago we first got notified that we were in the preferred position for [the job] so it is frustrating,鈥� he said.

鈥淲e鈥檝e put the fence up around the site; we鈥檝e got a site office; we鈥檝e got people there - but we鈥檙e not doing any particularly active work at the moment, mainly a lot of design and a lot of planning for the project.鈥�

A spokesman for EDF said: 鈥淲e鈥檝e always said that we would be clearer on timings once we reach a final investment decision and that is still the case.鈥�