Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Plant's £100 Million Site Preparation Contract Awarded to Kier Bam

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources Europe (Galway, Ireland)--Electricite de France S.A. (EPA:EDF) (EDF) (Paris, France) and Centrica (OTC:CPYYF) (Windsor, England) have selected Kier Group (KIE.LN) (Bedfordshire, England) and Bam Nuttall, a subsidiary of The Royal BAM Group (BAMNB:EN) (Bunnik, Netherlands), as the preferred joint venture bidders for site preparation works at the 3,300-megawatt (MW) Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Plant project in Somerset, England. The Kier and Bam Nuttall team won the contract over fierce competition from major bidders Balfour Beatty/Vinci and Costain/McAlpine.

The £100 million ($155 million) earthworks contract will create approximately 350 jobs. The scope of work involves excavation, earthworks, terracing, installation of construction site infrastructure, and formation of roads and networks to allow main construction to begin. It is estimated that 4.5 million cubic metres of rock and earth will need to be moved to make way for the new nuclear power station. The preparatory works will be followed by the main construction works, which will see more than 20,000 people work on site during the course of the project.

The contract announcement was made by Vincent de Rivaz, the chief executive of EDF, at the company's National Supply Chain event in London. Speaking at the event, de Rivaz said: "Today's announcements demonstrate that U.K. nuclear new-build is on track and gaining momentum. All this has been made possible by the major progress this year."

A second agreement with Areva S.A. (EPA:CEI) (Paris, France) in relation to the early design work for the main twin-reactor systems also was announced. This will begin in January 2012 and is set to enable the development of equipment specifications, allowing companies to bid for supply contracts. Areva already is starting to produce the heavy forgings required for critical reactor components, following a contract signed between the companies in July. For additional information, see August 2, 2011, article - EDF Starts Bid to Build Hinkley Point C Nuclear Plant.

EDF also revealed plans to create a £15 million ($23 million) national training centre in partnership with Bridgwater College in Somerset, with the aim of addressing potential skills shortages in the energy sector by providing training to local residents.

View Project Report - 300009866

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.