Nuclear reactor installed at Hinkley Point C, the first in a UK power station for 30 years

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A new nuclear reactor has been installed at Hinkley Point C in Somerset, the first time one has been fitted at a British power station for more than 30 years.

It's been described as a 'major milestone' for the project which, when complete, will provide 7% of the country's electricity.

It has been eight years since work started at the site near Bridgwater and the company behind it, EDF, say installing the reactor is a huge step forward in what is the biggest construction project in Europe.

Matt Hargreaves, Area Delivery Manager for EDF Energy, said: "It's the culmination of many many years of hard work from a lot of teams and a lot of people.

“It's a really big milestone. I'm really pleased to see that the teams have performed brilliantly. The first part of this was forged 13 years ago and you can just see the joy on people's faces as this has landed. It will be down in its home for the next 60 years."

It is the first reactor to be installed in the UK since Sizewell B 30 years ago Credit: EDF

The reactor is a 13 metre long reactor pressure vessel or RPV. It is 500 tonnes of steel and will eventually hold nuclear fuel.

It had to be inserted through a 19.5m high hatch, before being rotated and then lowered into place. The margin of error on either side was just 40mm.

Mr Hargreaves added: "It involved our teams from France who made the RPV. We had specialist lifting teams to lift it outside the building and then we had another team to lift from above."

The workforce at Hinkley Point C is the size of a town and so far they have used 360km of pipes and 10,000km of cable.

But it has not been without issue. It's over budget and faced huge delays with the reactors now expected to be switched on by the end of the decade.

And work doesn't stop with another reactor due to be installed next year.

Mr Hargreaves said: “We can now start to install the other complex nuclear equipment so we can start connecting up the RPV to the steam generators and then we'll put in the lines that will connect the production to the other buildings so it will connect to the turbine hall which will generate the electricity."

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “Installing the first reactor pressure vessel at Hinkley Point C is a significant feat of engineering and a major step forward for the UK’s most advanced nuclear project.

“Getting Hinkley up and running to produce clean power for six million homes will be a win for our long-term energy independence, protecting bill payers as we accelerate to net zero.”