The second nuclear reactor has been delivered to Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant, marking a major milestone before its planned 2029 opening.

The power station received its first nuclear reactor in 2023, which has subsequently been installed and welded in place on Unit 1 of the power station.

The delivery of the second ‘reactor pressure vessel’ is a major moment for the identical Unit 2. The pressure vessel harnesses nuclear fission to make heat and steam for the turbines. Each steel cylinder weighs in at 500 tonnes and is just 13 metres long.

Work on Unit 1 has moved onto the fitting out of pipes, cables and equipment, while Unit 2 is focused on the completion of its buildings following the lifting of the dome last year. According to EDF, the experience gained by the team from constructing Unit 1 should allow Unit 2 to be constructed 20-30% faster, with prefabrication now approaching 60%.

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 in Somerset. The final journey was a six-hour road trip for four miles by a transporter to the construction site.

Hinkley Point C will be the UK’s first new nuclear plant in a generation and was originally going to be brought online as early as 2017. But due to a series of major delays, the first generator is now not expected to become operational until 2029 at the earliest, with the second generator being switched on some time after that. The plant will be an essential component of the government’s plan to decarbonise the UK’s electricity grid by 2030.

The Sizewell C nuclear power station was also confirmed last year and is based on a design almost identical to Hinkley Point C. The 3,200MWe facility will also use two EPR reactors and is set to be built near the village of Sizewell in Suffolk, England.

In July 2025, the government agreed a £38bn funding package with private investors for the project. Coinciding with this announcement, Centrica revealed it was to acquire a 15% equity stake in the project, with committed construction funding of £1.3bn.