Largest nuclear steam turbines ever made to boost UK grid

Securing the UK’s energy future with carbon-free technology

With an increase in power plants retirement by 2030, the UK is facing a critical challenge to secure and stabilise its energy production. The need for additional energy supply to secure the UK grid is now critical and the Hinkley Point C (HPC) nuclear power plant is part of the solution. Nuclear provides dependable, CO2-free energy and when complete, HPC is expected to deliver around 7 percent of the UK’s power generation capacity for the next 60 years. EDF Energy, the UK’s largest producer of low-carbon electricity, is at the forefront of the new nuclear power plant development in the country, including the Hinkley Point C (HPC) power plant, featuring two EPR reactors. Once in operation, HPC is expected to deliver more than 3.2 GW to the grid, enough to cover 6 million homes, and avoid 9 million tons of CO2 emissions each year.

Meet the two largest steam turbines ever built

GE will supply the two conventional power islands for HPC, which include the ARABELLE™ steam turbine, generator, and other critical equipment. This technology came to GE through last year’s Alstom acquisition.

The ARABELLE steam turbine wasted no time in setting a record at HPC. Already the largest steam turbine in operation for the past 10 years, the ARABELLE produces 2 percent more power output than a traditional configuration and has a 99.96 percent reliability rate. HPC’s ARABELLE turbines will be the largest ever built — longer than an Airbus 380 — and capable of producing 1,770 MW each.