A silo at Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in Somerset has suffered structural damage, releasing a cloud of granulated slag into the surrounding area and temporarily halting work on the joint French-Chinese venture.
The 115-foot (35-meter) tower buckled at around 7:30 am local time on Wednesday. Although initial reports were of an explosion, the smoke was in fact a cloud of Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS), which was being used to reinforce the concrete, according to a spokesperson with Electricite de France (EDF).
No one was injured and no radiation was released in the incident, according to EDF.
The French nuclear giant is building the power station near Bridgewater, in southwestern England, splitting the £20-plus billion tab with Chinese General Nuclear (CGN), a state-owned company.
The construction was approved by London in 2016, and the plant is scheduled for completion by 2025. It was described as “the first in a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK.”
On June 1, EDF proudly announced an important milestone, finishing the foundation for Unit 2's reactor building.
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