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Pluggedinto nuclear new build at Hinkley Point C
Have I got newts for you!In conversationwith ourecologist TimMcHardy
June 2014
Inside this issue of Plugged in:Community Funding is coming: Community fund opens for applications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Inspiring the next generation: Milestone 50,000th student engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 -11Energised to help: Support given to flood relief efforts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
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News in brief
This is an exciting time for the Hinkley Point C project.
In May we began an important workpackage at HPC to start Phase 2 of ourSite Preparation Works.
These works include the construction ofroundabouts, temporary construction roads anddrainage works, all of which could be reversed ifnecessary because our final investment decisionwill only be made after a decision on EU StateAid approval. These works will lead into themain construction activities following the finalinvestment decision and shows our commitmentto play our part replacing the 22 gigawattelectricity generation gap predicted by 2025.
This start of preparatory works on site triggersvarious financial payments to West SomersetCouncil including the first tranche of money tothe Community Fund. You can find furtherdetails on the Community Fund inside.
Getting in touch with us
State AidThe EuropeanCommission’sinvestigation intothe Hinkley Point C
Contract forDifference is well
underway. The contract for HinkleyPoint C is the first example of a newkind of agreement to unlockinvestment in low carbon energy atthe best possible price for consumers.
Visit www.edfenergy.com/hinkleypointc
Email [email protected]
Call us 0800 096 9650
Visit us EDF Energy Visitor Centre, Angel Place Shopping Centre,Bridgwater, TA6 3TQ
Tweet us @edfehinkleyc
Billing enquires and customer services 0800 096 9000
Notes from Nigel
Nigel CannSite Construction Director Hinkley Point C
In the local area we have been busy working onour Associated Developments. Roadimprovements at Sandford Hill Corner arecomplete, archaeological investigations arestarting in Cannington on the new bypass site,and two new replacement community footballpitches in Bridgwater are almost ready for playto begin.
As usual, we’ve also been putting significantinvestment into skills and training for theworkforce of the future. Inside this edition wehave a great feature on the successful Womeninto Construction event we ran in April.
These are exciting times and I look forward to asafe and successful start to the next phase of ourproject.
If you would like to get in touch with us pleasedo so using the contact details below.
Preparing for Earthworks
At present the site is operating under‘Preparation Works’ planning consent,granted in 2012 by West SomersetCouncil, and on 06 May the teamembarked on Phase 2 of thesepreparation works.
In previous phases, works included theerection of perimeter fencing, archaeologicalexcavations, soil remediation and geologicaltrials. The activity in Phase 2 will ensure thatearthworks – the first major component of themain construction programme – can begin assmoothly as possible when the time comes.
Phase 2 works will see construction begin ontwo key roundabouts in the north and southof the site which will eventually become thesite’s main entrances. One entrance will servethe workforce arriving by bus and the other
There is a real buzz at Hinkley Point C site as the team grows insize and embarks on a programme of preparatory activity over thesummer – getting the site ready for main construction.
goods vehicles transporting constructionmaterials. Also in Phase 2, six large drainageponds will be created on site to help managethe volume of water that will collect duringearthworks. In the north west of the sitework will also begin on creating a bund – alarge mound of earth – to screenconstruction activities. Work will also start toimprove temporary construction roads on sitewhich will be used by large plant machineryduring the earthworks.
Earthworks will see around five million cubicmetres of material dug from the north of thesite to create excavations large enough tohost the power station’s two reactors – thisvolume of earth would be enough to fillaround 1,300 Olympic sized swimming pools!
The earth from these excavations will be
Above Initial plant machinery arriving at Hinkley Point Csite for preparation activity during summer 2014
transferred to Holford Valley in the south ofthe site and consequently the level of thevalley will rise and its profile will become lesssteep. Specialist excavators, similar tomachinery used in the mining industry, willbe brought to site to carry out this work.
Alan Rigby, Programme Manager, said:“Starting these preparation works is anexciting time for everyone working here andit demonstrates real confidence in theproject. The activity the team is completingnow will ensure a smooth take off for mainconstruction following a final investmentdecision.”
Continued on page 4 d
Zingy returns!EDF Energy’s cutebrand character
Zingy returned toour TV screens tolaunch ourBlue+PricePromise 2015. Tofind out morespeak to customerservices on:
0800 096 9000
Lives to fly another dayEmployees at our Junction 24 site hada surprise visit from an exhaustedgannet that had been blown in fromthe sea during recentstorms. Quick thinkingsecurity guardscould see thebird was in distress and called the RSPCAwho were pleased toreceive the call andrecovered the ailing bird.
Our Top Tweets... Follow us @edfehinkleyc
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Community funding is coming...West Somerset Council launches multi-million poundfund available to the local community
In May 2014 Hinkley Point Centered Phase 2 Preparatory Workswhich will help facilitate the mainconstruction activities once a finalinvestment decision is made.
This phase triggers various multi-million pound payments to WestSomerset Council including £3.5
million funds which will be available to the community. The initialreleases of community funds are to benefit local communitiesaffected by the Site Preparation Works, particularly within WestSomerset, Stogursey, Cannington and Bridgwater.
West Somerset Council’s Leader Cllr Tim Taylor, said: “WestSomerset Council is now considering how to use the Fundpositively and sensibly for the benefit of local communities”.
Applications will be considered from any community group ororganisation who have a project that promotes or improves theeconomic, social or environmental well-being of the localcommunity.
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Above Pupils at Stogursey Primary School receiving a nutritious breakfast as partof a similar funding scheme
Preparing for Earthworks Continued from page 3
Full details of how to apply to the Community ImpactMitigation fund can be found on the West SomersetCouncil website: www.westsomerset.gov.uk/CIM
Above: Hinkley Point C site planned activities summer 2014
1. Drainage works 2.North West Bund 3.North Roundabout 4. Southern Roundabout and Temporary Southern Access
Come and meet the Inspire team at theImagineering showcase at the Royal Bathand West Show #HPCInspire
23 hrs ago
Our programme of engaging with localbusinesses continues today. Meeting 6councils & agencies at our Local BusinessEngagement Forum
32 days ago
We're pleased to host a film crew fromPumpkin Interactive today helping them tomake an educational video about nuclearpower for schools
28 days ago
Dry weather is allowing improvement worksat Sandford Hill Corner to progress well.We're optimistic for a summer finish aheadof schedule
40 days ago
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On the roads
The highway improvements are beingcarried out early so they are largelycomplete before main constructionbegins at Hinkley Point C.
The new roundabout at Sandford Hill Corneron the A39 was completed in June. KevinMurray, Project Manager for theimprovements said 'The A39 is a busy routeand it was a priority for us to get the newroundabout in place swiftly.' The nextimprovements to be made will be inBridgwater where we are upgrading somebusy junctions and in West Somerset, atWashford Cross, where we're installing anew roundabout to make the junction safer.We are working with Somerset CountyCouncil to plan the work properly. We hope
to begin early stages of the work thisAutumn. More detail will be available asplans are confirmed.
“The team have worked veryhard and taken great care tobuild the new roundabout, it'smaking the road safer and it'sgreat news that it's finishedahead of schedule” Mrs Stuckey, Sandford Hill resident
In Cannington, preparatory activity hasbegun on the new bypass to enable us to
We are already improving roads and making them safer beforeconstruction starts at Hinkley Point C.
start construction this year. A stock prooffence is up around the site and somevegetation has been removed along theroute of the bypass. This summer there willbe three archaeological dig sites openedup. Before this work began, we metresidents living close to the new bypass at adrop-in session at Brymore School toanswer questions.
Colin Allen - Chair of Cannington ParishCouncil said “The drop-in session was well attended by residents and helpedanswer many of the enquiries they had. We need the construction of the bypass tostart this year so the bulk of the HinkleyPoint C construction traffic goes around the village”.
Ecology at Hinkley Point C
As a child Tim McHardy never thoughthe could make a career out of hispassion for wildlife – but for the lastdecade Tim has done just that, workingas an ecologist for EDF Energy’s partnerAmec. Here Plugged in takes a walk onthe wild side to find out more abouthis interesting role and work on thebypass planned near Cannington.
Why does a power station projectrequire an ecologist?
Any construction project needs to considerhow its activities may impact on the localenvironment and wildlife. Hinkley Point C notonly has a large green field site, but severalothers across Bridgwater and the surroundingarea which will be used as accommodationfor workers and park and ride facilities. Thereare specific laws governing protected speciesin the UK and part of my role is helpingorganisations understand and abide by these.
What does your role entail?
The first task is to properly understand whatspecies are present on a site. This involves lotsof survey work out in the field, sometimesover many months. People often smile when Itell them I actually spend a lot of my timestudying animal droppings! When we havethe detailed survey results, we assess theseagainst what a company wishes to do andanalyse the likely impacts. We work withcompanies to advise them how they canminimise their impact and submit ourassessments alongside planning applications.
What are you doing on theCannington bypass project?
EDF Energy plans to build a bypass aroundthe village of Cannington. For several yearsnow I have been surveying wildlife in thefields that make up the site and working on
Plugged in speaks to people proud to work on the Hinkley Point Cproject. In this edition: EDF Energy Ecologist, Tim McHardy
measures to ensure the impacts of the bypassare minimised for wildlife.
“The best thing about my job isknowing I’m achieving positiveoutcomes for wildlife”
What species are present at thebypass site and what are youdoing for them?
Some of the species present include nestingbirds, great crested newts, otters, badgersand bats. As well as creating new habitats forthese species, including a new pond and newhedgerows, we are installing a series ofunderpasses for wildlife – ensuring they willbe able to travel safely under the new road.We also plan to create two ‘hop overs’ forbats in the tree canopy to ensure theynavigate over the road successfully, as well asa ledge for otters in the stream culverts.
Will any species be relocated aspart of the bypass project?
Great crested newts are a European protectedspecies. Under licence from Natural Englandwe will be relocating newts from the bypasssite over a strictly regulated 60 day period. Allnewts that are caught will be moved, byhand, away from the construction site toreceptor habitats around their breeding pond.Following the relocation careful monitoring ofthe population will be undertaken.
What do you like best about yourjob?
A large part of my working week is spentoutdoors which is fantastic. The best thingabout my job is knowing I’m achieving positiveoutcomes for wildlife, by working alongsidebusinesses from the start of a project.
AboveAs a child Tim McHardy never thought he couldmake a career out of his passion for wildlife
Interview
Sanford cornerroundaboutcomplete
C182 andCannington roadimprovementscomplete
A39
C182Canningtonby-pass
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October 21st 2013 was an historic day for the future of Hinkley Point.EDF Group and the UK Government announced they had reached inprinciple an agreement on key commercial terms for an investmentcontract of the planned Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.
Cannington CourtA step back in timeAt an open day in March, over 100 localvisitors took up the rare chance to delveinto the fascinating and rich past of one ofSomerset’s historic houses, CanningtonCourt. The visitors, including an enthusiasticgroup of pupils and teachers fromCannington Church of England Primaryschool, were given the opportunity to seethe archaeological finds and talk withmembers of the archaeology team involved.
“We have been really keen to respectthe history of Cannington Court as wellas to bring a new lease of life andpurpose to the building. Sharing itspast, and importantly the futureopportunities, with our neighbours is akey part of the project.”Marc Coltelli, Head of Campus project for EDF Energy
Restoration workEDF Energy, in partnership with Bridgwater College, is currently restoringCannington Court as a unique training campus for employees in the UK.The project is well advanced, with the opening planned for the end ofthe year.
In recognition of the historical value of the building, conservation work involvedextensive masonry repairs, conservation repairs to windows, structural repairs tothe roof and the installation of lightning protection and safe access measures,with workers careful to ensure the delicate ecology including wisteria, bats,nesting birds and bee hives was not disturbed.
For more information about Cannington Court visithttp://campus.edfenergy.com/campus/cannington-court
A highly successful and innovative programme is helpingto inspire Somerset youngsters to continue to studyScience, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEMsubjects). As well as helping to overcome an importantnational skills gap it is building a pipeline whichencourages young people to go from education in STEMsubjects to gaining skills that equip them for long termtechnical careers. In this way we create a positive legacyfor our project.
Tom Thayer is a former primary school teacher at Westover GreenCommunity School, local Bridgwater resident and the InspireEducation Programme Advisor. As part of the Nuclear New BuildEducation Team he has developed and steered the programme since2013 and is rightly proud of the success to date. “For mepersonally, the Hinkley Point C project is about creating much morethan a new power station - it is an opportunity for the region tobecome a leader in the sustainable low-carbon industry of thefuture, with a workforce ready to deliver not only the projects oftoday but for generations to come. The Inspire programme enablesus to really make a difference.”
The Inspire programme provides a clearpipeline from education into employment
The new station is planned to operate for at least 60 years, so theworkers of tomorrow could well be in the classrooms of today.
Inspiring thenext generation
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Over
300for all age groups have beendelivered across more than
100 schools in Somerset
exciting & engaging activities
More than
50,000have been delivered by the team,
allowing young people to
explore and learnabout Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics
student engagements
The programme also
supports continued professional development
of educational professionals. The work is creating a network
of innovative and
inspirationalteachers, each working on subject
materials that relate to new opportunities for students whilst developing the
teacher’sown skills and knowledge
The next generation in numbers
The Inspire Education Programme isbusy preparing the young people ofSomerset for the opportunities thatwill arrive with the construction andoperation of the new Hinkley Point Cpower station.
Above EDF Energy graduate Katie Bannister at the Yr9 Exeter University ResidentialLeft Tom Thayer talks to students Below The Inspire programme provides a clear pipeline from education intoemployment
For more information, and to explore ways of getting involved, contact the education team: [email protected]
Through an exciting range of initiatives delivered in local schools,Inspire is raising aspirations, enriching the current curriculum andproviding clear pathways to employment whilst helping to addressthe nation’s current skills gap.
The Year 9 Involve programme is just one example of a progressiveset of initiatives that are currently being delivered in schools acrossSomerset. A range of hands on activities, challenges and supportmaterials are helping the students to continue building invaluable lifeskills whilst gaining an insight into the vast opportunities thatstudying STEM subjects can provide. They are also given theopportunity to gain first hand experience of engineering relatedchallenges and gain an appreciation of the nuclear industry in thecontext of a diverse and low carbon energy mix.
FeatureFeature
Ages 4-11Creating the WOW!
Ages 11-14Helping to make
choices
Ages 14-19Connecting tocareers
Ages 19-24Pathways toemployment
24 and beyondEmployment
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Building our future
Local female students have experienced a three-day taster course ofwhat a career in construction or engineering could offer them.
The Women into Construction and Engineering' coursebegan in 2011 with Bridgwater College and 70% of the firstcohort of students are still actively involved in theprogramme. The programme ran this year in partnershipwith Somerset College.
“Females are greatly under-represented across the engineering andconstruction sectors, yet many exciting, rewarding and challengingprofessions exist” said Tom Thayer, EDF Energy Inspire EducationProgramme Advisor “this course is aimed at giving young women aninsight into the exciting and diverse range of professions within thesectors and helping young women become more informed about thequalification pathways available”.
“The girls thoroughly enjoyed the experienceand feel better prepared to consider a career inthis often male dominated profession”Mark Griffin, Headteacher of Kingsmead School
The programme is adapted by the host college and usually covers fourexciting workshops – carpentry, surveying, engineering design and anengineering structural challenge. It also offered the participants aninsight of what it is like to enter the World of further education.
A student of Westfield Academy who attended said “These days havehelped me think about my options and what I want to do in the future.It has changed my opinion on engineering and I hope to learn more inthe future”.
Students also went to the EDF Energy Visitors Centre in Bridgwaterwhere they found out about the range of employment opportunities,heard from female professionals working on the project at Hinkley PointC and undertook practical experiments about sources of power.
Women into Construction and Engineering has been developed for YeovilCollege, West Somerset College, Somerset College and BridgwaterCollege, strengthening relationships with their feeder schools.
Above Students taking part in the electricity generation challenge
Brokerage 100
Maria Smith from Bridgwater hadcause for celebration as she wasappointed as an accommodationassistant on the Hinkley Point Cproject after contacting the brokeragein 2013.
The brokerage is an initiative by EDF Energyto match people interested in working onthe power station project with the latest jobsand training on offer.
Over 25,000 job opportunities are set to becreated during the construction phase ofHinkley Point C and the brokerage will bekey in helping Somerset people accesssuitable roles. Once completed, the powerstation would provide 900 full-time jobs overits 60 years of operation and generateenough low carbon electricity for 5 millionhomes.
Over one hundred people in the south west have now found workthanks to the Hinkley Point C Employment Brokerage.
AboveMaria Smith gets settled into her new roleTo date around 2,000 people have registeredtheir interest in jobs in a wide range of areasincluding facilities management, security,logistics, administration and generalconstruction work.
Maria said: “After registering my details theteam kept me updated on job opportunitiesthat matched my skills and without theteam’s help I would not have found mycurrent role. My new job is a greatchallenge and I’m learning all the time – it’sgreat to work on such a varied and excitingproject.”
EDF Energy is fully committed to helpingpeople from Somerset benefit from theemployment and skills opportunities thatthe Hinkley Point C project will bring. Inaddition to establishing the brokerage thecompany is investing well over £10 million
in education, training and skillsdevelopment across the county.
Jennifer Sandy, employment and skillsmanager for the Hinkley Point C Brokeragesaid: “The brokerage is a fantastic way forSomerset people to access employmentopportunities on what will be one of thelargest and most exciting engineeringprojects in Europe.”
Interested in project updatesand job opportunities?Send an email to [email protected] call 01278 436 132
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News Community
EDF Energy along with the Heritage Lottery Fund,Stogursey Parish Council and West Somerset Council haveall supported the Stogursey Oral History Project. AubreyKnowles from the Stogursey Oral History Project team tellsus a bit more about the project and what they have beenup to over the last year.
Sixty years ago Stogursey was a quiet village untouched by themodern world. All this was to change dramatically with the buildingof the two nuclear power stations at Hinkley Point. Many localresidents remember the area as it was and so, with the prospect of athird power station being built, a small group of locals decided torecord the memories of those who recall how the parish was andwho have lived through the changes.
Over the past year the team have been busy making recordings andcollecting local historical material, photographs and so on, and felt ittimely to show the residents what has been going on. In March, asuccessful open day was held in the village of Stogursey withdisplays along with video recordings, a book based on theinterviews, a leaflet describing a walk round Stogursey village andmaterial prepared by Stogursey School. The exhibition was openfrom noon to 7pm and there was a steady stream of local peoplevisiting. It turned into a social event with people swappingreminiscences and offering information. The project will continue,and hopefully a local history archive will be set up in the village.
Village memories
Residents of Stogursey, a neighbouring village to Hinkley Point, havebeen busy capturing the local history.
If you would like to contribute to the project, pleasecontact [email protected], or telephone 01278 733 874 or 01278 732 417
Top Paul Tipney views the displays at the Oral History open day Above Volunteers of Stogursey Oral History project: Phil Hemmings, Teresa Miller, IanElenor, Lesley Flash, Aubrey Knowles (article author) and Naomi Chetter, EDF Energyvolunteer
Energised to help
Colin Buckley, a Senior Project Manageron the Hinkley Point C Project, who wasasked to coordinate our flood reliefsupport activities explained: “Havinglooked at the options the mostimmediate thing we could do was tooffer our site near Junction 24 of the M5to the Dutch firm who helped pump thewater off the Somerset Levels. Thepumps were massive and they needed toassemble them before they were movedinto position so we were glad to be ableto do something quickly to help.”
Longer term, the Junction 24 site, which EDFEnergy acquired for a logistics and park andride depot, became the focal point of therelief effort after an approach from PaulBlackmore, a technical trainer at Hinkley PointB and volunteer with the charity Flooding onthe Levels Action Group (FLAG).
“It quickly became obvious that the level ofdonations we were receiving and the scale ofthe operation required much bigger premisesthan the one we were using,” explained Paul.“I approached Mike Harrison, Station Directorof the B station and within 10 minutes NigelCann Hinkley Point C Site ConstructionDirector had offered us the warehouse atJunction 24.”
A call for help from the community saw EDF Energy staff join the effortsto support flood-hit residents and businesses in Somerset.
Left Flood hit Somerset levelsBelow Colin Buckley with goods donated as part of therelief effortents
The warehouse was soon transformed into adistribution centre thanks to a combinedeffort from Workplace Solutions who provideEDF Energy facilities management, and G4Swho provide security services, and EDFEnergy.
“I know we will see our staffcontinue to help in the clean-up activities”
Workplace Solutions put in emergencylighting, fencing, coned off areas, andportaloos, and G4S provided security servicesto the site – all for free. Within a week thecentre officially opened to our floodedneighbours and volunteers supporting theemergency response. It really has been agreat team effort and we were touched bythe generosity of so many people andcompanies who offered to help,” said Colin.
In addition to the distribution centre, the sitewas also home to three 40 foot articulatedchillers for food and Avon and SomersetPolice set up their mobile incident controlcentre on the site with EDF Energy providingthe power.
On behalf of employees at both Hinkley PointC site and Hinkley Point B power station£10,000 has also been donated to theSomerset Community Foundation FloodAppeal. This provides grants to people whosehomes have been flooded to meet theimmediate financial burdens of moving out,pumping and drying, and emergency repairs.
As the relief effort moved to the recoveringphase, EDF Energy is standing by to provideteams of volunteers to help with the clean-upwhich is likely to take several months and longerterm Paul is looking to set up a CommunityInterest Company to continue to support localresidents long after the water has gone.
Nigel Cann, HPC SiteConstruction Director, said:“It’s been a big, coordinatedresponse offering varioustypes of support and creditmust go to our employeeswho rallied round to makefacilities available and I knowwe will see our staff continueto help in the clean-upactivities over thecoming months.”
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Photograph taken by Mark Robinson at Canada Lake on the SomersetLevels. Taken with Canon 450D and Canon efs18-200 lens.
Are you a budding photographer or a photography enthusiast?Share your photographs taken in and around Somerset with us and eachedition we will publish our favourite. Send your high resolution phototo: [email protected] with your name and details ofwhere the photograph was taken and what camera you used to capturethe shot. The winner will receive a £50 photography voucher.
Terms and conditions apply:www.hinkleypoint.edfenergyconsultation.info/newsroom-faqs/newsletters/
Photographycompetition winner
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