Barges arrive to connect cooling water tunnels
Two huge two jack-up barges, Neptune and Sea Challenger, have arrived in the Bristol Channel. Underwater activity is underway to connect the six concrete heads on the seabed to the tunnels underneath. The vessels will play a central role in making those connections, which require installing casings and liners through each head to create vertical shafts more than 20m deep. This is what will eventually allow seawater to pass through into the power station. The first step will see the casings hammered into the seabed in each of the six head locations. Then, mining operations will take place to create a socket for the liners to be positioned into. The liners have been specially designed and fabricated in Scotland and each one weighs more than 270 tonnes.
First pump installed for cooling sprinkler system
The first of a series of pumps has that will be used across the nuclear island was successfully installed inside one of the Unit 1 safeguard buildings. Weighing 6.5 tonnes, the pump will deliver water to cool the supply from the main pump to the sprinkler safety system located on the underside of the dome. The pump was delivered from a storage facility in Avonmouth.
Vital instrumentation and control cabinets delivered
The first batch of instrumentation and control cabinets, containing equipment that will monitor and control the operational power station, has been delivered to Wincanton. These first seven cabinets will be installed by the MEH Alliance in the electrical building on the conventional island, where they will form part of the system that monitors and controls ventilation, power distribution, cooling and more.
Taken from The Point May 2023
