A SECOND nuclear reactor has arrived at the under-construction Hinkley Point C power station just short of two years since the first was delivered.

The first reactor arrived in February, 2023, and is already installed and welded in place in unit one of the power station.

Delivery of the second reactor pressure vessel is a major moment for Hinkley’s identical unit two.

The pressure vessel harnesses nuclear fission to make heat and steam for the world’s largest turbines.

Each 42-feet long high strength steel cylinder reactor, weighing in at 500 tonnes, will power about three million homes around the clock.

Work on unit one has moved on to the fitting out of pipes, cables, and equipment, while unit two is focussed on the completion of its buildings following a successful dome lift in July of last year.

Because of the innovation and experience gained from constructing unit one, the teams building the second unit are doing so about 20 to 30 per cent faster, with the prefabrication element of the construction now approaching 60 per cent.

The reactor was shipped from the Framatome Saint Marcel factory, in France, to Avonmouth Docks, in Bristol, before being transported by barge to Combwich Wharf on the River Parrett.

The final journey was a six-hour road trip by a transporter on Sunday (January 11) covering the four miles from Combwich to the construction site.

At the time of the first reactor arrival, Hinkley C was due to start generating power by the middle of next year, but the timeframe has since slipped and the latest estimate is now 2029, with the second unit coming online about a year later.

Former Hinkley Point B station director Nicola Fauvel has been appointed to lead Hinkley C through its commissioning and into operation.

Hinkley B is currently being decommissioned.