The 500-metre long sea jetty will be used to land materials during the construction of the proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in West Somerset.
There is already a shortlist of Costain, Sir Robert McAlpine, Dean & Dyball, Kier, BAM and Volker Stevin for the £50m jetty contract. Yesterday the plan got the necessary approvals from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and the energy secretary.
If the proposed power station fails to get planning permission, the jetty development would be removed and the area restored to its previous condition.
If, however, it goes ahead, the temporary jetty will allow significant volumes of construction materials to be delivered by sea, as part of EDF Energy's transport strategy of minimising traffic on local roads. One sea vessel alone will avoid up to 250 heavy goods vehicles using the local road network, EDF said.
EDF Energy will carry out offshore site investigations ahead of jetty construction starting next year. The jetty is expected to take about 15 months to build.
On the other side of the country,Suffolk Coastal District Council for planning permission to create a temporary visitor centre at Sizewell B power station near Leiston.
“EDF Energy is committed to improving the transparency and openness surrounding our nuclear operations,” said the power station’s director Jim Crawford.
The new visitor centre will be housed in an existing mobile cabin building, with a new glazed extension, next to the training centre to the north of the Sizewell B site. Access to the building will be along the existing access road to Sizewell B.
The plan is to use this temporary building for the next four years, until a permanent visitor centre can be built elsewhere on the site.
Work on the half million pound project is now beginning, with the Visitor Centre scheduled to open in October this year.
The visitor centre is expected to attract between 7,500 and 10,000 visitors each year, mostly school groups.
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
