A 245 tonne cover for one of two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point C in Somerset has been lifted into place.
Following years of delay and ever-mounting costs, the installation of the steel roof will allow for the reactor to finally be installed next year, developer EDF said.
“Lifting the dome allows us to get on with the fitting of equipment, pipes and cables, including the first reactor which is on site and ready,” director Simon Parsons explained.
“Generating enough zero-carbon power for six million homes, Hinkley Point C will reduce our reliance on imported energy,” nuclear minister Andrew Bowie added.
“This is a key part of the UK government's plans to revitalise nuclear.”
Hinkley Point C had been tipped to begin producing power before 2020, in plans laid out during the late noughties.
However, the plan to build the UK’s first new nuclear power station in decades has faced repeated delays, with the site now expected to open in 2027 at a cost of £33 billion - more than double original estimates.
To make matters worse, the Chinese partner in Hinkley Point C, CGN, has reportedly stopped making payments to cover overrunning costs of the project in recent weeks.
CGN had committed to financing 33.5% of the project in 2016, when costs were originally expected to amount to £18 billion, with this now having been paid by the group.
A government official ruled out any speculation of public finance being offered meanwhile, dubbing funding issues as a “a matter for the shareholders”.
Campaign group Stop Sizewell C, which disputes plans for an identical plant to Hinkley Point C to be built in Suffolk, commented that the lack of support proved that financing nuclear energy was “inherently risky”.