The MEH Joint Venture has been officially formed to deliver the erection sequence for the UK's first new nuclear power station in two decades.

The venture is new partnership between Hinkley Point C and all Tier One MEH (Mechanical, Electrical and HVAC) and support services contractors.

Representatives from Altrad, Balfour Beatty Bailey, Cavendish Nuclear and Doosan Babcock met today, 27 September, to join forces and launch the collaboration. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the individual companies and Hinkley Point C.

The MEH Joint Venture will work across the Hinkley Point C site to integrate and coordinate the delivery of all main MEH, cabling and associated support services on the project. The joint venture will consolidate the works in line with the project's priorities of safety, quality, time and cost.

This approach will help different contractors work as a single entity to deliver the complex installation of cabling and pipework in the power station's 2,500 rooms. The approach is an example of innovation based on the experience gained at other nuclear construction projects.

A central Project Management Office will manage critical project interfaces, the scheduling and sequencing of the MEH activities on site and work to refine and harmonise the required systems, processes, procedures, data and reporting to further optimise delivery of the project.

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The MEH Joint Venture will also look at ways to create new cutting-edge pipework manufacturing in the UK. This new industrial capacity should benefit other nuclear projects and give the UK opportunities to win global contracts in nuclear and other hi-tech engineering sectors.

Richard Bowman, Interim Managing Director, MEH Joint Venture, said: "Today marks an exciting milestone in our industry – forming the MEH Joint Venture and bringing together all tier one MEH and support services contractors to work in partnership with the Hinkley Point C project. It represents the start of a new way of working.

"Combined, the MEH Joint Venture operates over 13 nuclear licensed sites in the UK with 20,000 directly employed nuclear experts and over 65 years of experience. Uniting our expertise brings together a host of knowledge and experience in delivering safe nuclear design, construction, modification, maintenance and decommissioning."

Stuart Crooks, Managing Director of Hinkley Point C commented: "This new approach is a major example of innovation at Hinkley Point C which puts the interests of the whole project above those of any individual contractor. That co-ordination is good for contractors, pooling skills and expertise for everyone's benefit. It also boosts UK industrial capacity and presents an opportunity to create jobs and skills by creating specialist pipework manufacturing in Britain."

CGN UK CEO Zheng Dongshan added: "CGN warmly welcomes the establishment of the MEH Joint Venture, and the role played by our colleagues in CNPEC in bringing it about. We believe strongly that it will deliver huge benefits to the delivery of the Hinkley Point C project, and to the UK nuclear industry as a whole. We are deeply committed to this project and to new nuclear more generally in this country, and as part of that commitment we will continue to share the learning of CGN and CNPEC from the Taishan project and our wider experience as we develop industrial partnerships for the long term in the UK."

(CM/MH)