Balfour Beatty in a joint venture (JV) with NG Bailey has been appointed as preferred bidder for the £460 million Hinkley Point C power station electrical package.

The JV will work across both proposed Hinkley Point C units for EDF Energy in Somerset.

It will deliver the critical infrastructure that will power the station and its operations, creating 1,000 jobs.

Works will include the design and installation of approximately 76,000 cables totalling over 3,000km in length, 180km of cable containment support systems, fire and environmental sealing, design and installation of earthing systems, and specialist packages associated with data acquisition and plant control.

The development will be the first nuclear power station to be built in the UK for 20 years. The two new nuclear reactors that form the proposed Hinkley Point C will provide low carbon electricity to meet 7% of UK demand.

Leo Quinn, Balfour Beatty Group Chief Executive, said: "This project enables Balfour Beatty to deploy its extensive experience and knowledge of the nuclear sector as the UK takes its next significant step forward in low-carbon energy."

The six-year project is expected to commence in 2016 with design work and the construction phase in 2017.

The JV's contract award is scheduled for 2016, subject to the Hinkley Point C final investment decision.

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EDF is increasing its supply chain, with 60% of the construction cost to be placed with UK firms.

The other preferred bidders include:

• Cavendish Boccard Nuclear (Joint Venture) comprising of Cavendish Nuclear, Bristol and Boccard, Lyon, France – mechanical pipework and equipment installation.

• ACTAN (Joint Venture) comprising of Doosan Babcock, Renfrew and Crawley, with Axima Concept and Tunzini Nucleaire, both of Paris, France – heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

• Laing O’Rourke, Dartford – construction of workers’ campus accommodation.

• ABB UK, Stone, Staffordshire – power transmission.

• Premier Interlink WACO UK Ltd, East Yorkshire – construction of temporary buildings.

• Weir, East Kilbride – large pumps for cooling water.

• Clyde Union, Glasgow – main pumps for feedwater system and cooling water system.

Project management contracts have been signed with the following companies, with the value of each contract to be determined for services that will be provided over the duration of construction:

• KBR – project management of site operations and equipment contract management.

• Jacobs – project management of building and civil work.

• Gleeds – contract management services.

• Faithful+Gould – contract management services.

• Turner and Townsend, Leeds – project controls and project management.

• Mace, London – contract management services.

EDF Energy CEO Vincent de Rivaz, said: "Hinkley Point C will be at the forefront of the revitalisation of the UK’s industrial and skills base, and we have worked hard to build a robust supply chain to support new nuclear in the UK.

"The project will boost industrial stamina in the UK and kick-start the new nuclear programme. Experience gained at Hinkley Point will help firms be successful in nuclear projects around the world."

Key South West joint ventures announced with combined contract values of more than £225m include:

• Somerset Larder, six Somerset food producers – catering.

• HOST, four Somerset companies – workers’ campus accommodation management.

• Somerset Passenger Solutions, two Somerset companies – transporting workers by bus.

• Somerset Infrastructure Alliance, three South West companies – site infrastructure services including site road maintenance, landscaping, signage and fencing.

• COMA, five South West businesses – construction utilities including electrical networks across the site and support services.

(LM)