EDF Energy and its contractor BYLOR have launched a joint investigation after a silo burst open on the construction site for Hinkley Point C, releasing a cloud of dust into the air.
The silo was filled with ground granulated blast furnace slag – a by-product of the steel industry that is used to make concrete – and forms part of one of four batching plants at the nuclear power station being built by EDF and its partners in Somerset.
The store split apart at 7.30 yesterday morning, releasing around 4,000 tonnes of slag that was held inside. EDF said there were no injuries and that the dust released into the air is not toxic and therefore poses no risk to health.
“At around half past seven yesterday morning a silo in the concrete batching plant at Hinkley Point C suffered structural damage, releasing a dust cloud around the area,” said a spokesperson for the company. “Nobody has been injured and the emergency services were not required. An investigation is underway to understand the cause of the event.”
“The temporary concrete making plant and the materials used are no different to a concrete plant anywhere else in the country,” EDF added in a further update. “It is not part of the permanent power station and there is nothing nuclear about it. There are four batching plants on the site.
“The nuclear power station’s permanent buildings are built to exacting safety standards overseen by the independent nuclear regulator, the ONR. However, both EDF and BYLOR are determined to make the construction industry as safe as possible and the opportunity for learning will not be lost.”