Vectos

Project overview

In March 2013, the British government gave the green light for EDF Energy to construct a new £14 billion nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C in Somerset.

It will be the first nuclear power station to be built in the UK for 20 years and will employ some 25,000 people during its 10-year construction and 900 for its daily operation when completed. It will provide up to 7% of the UK’s energy needs for the next 60 years; enough to power 5 million households.

The Planning Act 2008 introduced a new planning regime for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), which includes energy projects. The NSIP regime was enacted to try to make the consenting process quicker with the examination limited to 6 months. At the time of consent, Hinkley Point C was the largest NSIP to have been progressed through the new planning regime.

Our Approach

Vectos acted as transport consultant to EDF Energy for Hinkley Point C and played a critical role in both the preparation of the Development Consent Order (DCO) application and throughout the examination itself.

Our role included the development of a comprehensive transport strategy, based on bringing the majority of the bulk materials in by sea, using freight management facilities to manage HGV movements and using park-and-ride and direct bus services to transport the construction workers to the site. A package of highway improvements was proposed to further reduce the transport impacts. Underpinning the strategy was a complex micro simulation model of the highway network.