THE Hinkley Point C nuclear power station development has seen its latest spectacular engineering achievement with the precision placement of a 5,000 tonne intake head on the seabed of the Bristol Channel, its biggest lift at sea.

The structure is the second of four intake heads being connected to five miles of tunnels which will supply Hinkley C’s two nuclear reactors with cooling water. The station’s two outfall heads have already been lowered into position.

Work to install the system is regarded as one of the world’s most complex marine engineering projects because the Bristol Channel has the second highest tidal range on the planet. Each intake head is 144 feet long and 26 feet high and is being lifted into position by two floating cranes named ‘Gulliver’ and ‘Rambiz’, working in tandem.

The crane platforms are the size of football pitches and have a combined lifting capacity of 7,300 tonnes.

The heads have been built by Balfour Beatty, in Avonmouth, Bristol, and are being transported to Hinkley C on barges.

The lifting at sea, carried out by marine construction specialists NewWaves Solutions, takes several days due to each step taking place within six-hour tidal windows.

Hinkley C is the first power station in the South West to have fish protection measures in place, including low velocity heads, a fish return system, and screens.

The heads are accurately placed sideways to the tidal flow with a high degree of precision to help prevent fish entering the cooling system, and the size of the intake heads slows the flow of water on either side, allowing nearby fish to swim away.

The installation work for the six heads will continue into the early autumn.