Hinkley Point C (HPC) is the first new nuclear power station to be built in the UK for more than 20 years. When the first reactor is commissioned in 2025, the £19.6bn facility will provide secure, low-carbon electricity for 6 million homes. As part of a drive towards cleaner energy, the electricity generated by HPC’s two nuclear reactors will offset almost 600 million tonnes of carbon emissions, during its 60-year lifespan.
Bylor’s civil engineering contract calls for the construction of up to 60 major structures on the 40ha site. The project will require a diverse range of machines, including 50 tower cranes and 20 giant crawler models. This includes one of the world’s largest cranes, a Sarens SGC-250, capable of lifting up to 5,000 tonnes.
While the JCB Loadalls boast a fraction of that lift capacity, they are equally vital to the everyday running of the project. The telehandlers are used to load specially designed trailers, that carry materials and equipment around the site for the construction teams. The Loadalls then drive to the drop-off location, before safely unloading the trailers and placing the materials.
Bylor’s general plant manager, John McCoppin said: “Our telehandlers do a lot more travel than on a conventional housebuilding site. I’ve had JCB machines for more than 25 years now, on sites around the world. The JCB telehandler is the market leader, it’s the most reliable and the easiest to maintain. In fact, we have just placed an order for three more.”
The Loadalls were supplied by local dealer Holt JCB, as part of a growing fleet of JCB equipment that is working on the contract. This includes a 457 wheeled loader for batching plant work, a 1CX-T tracked compact backhoe loader for confined access, two 714 articulated dump trucks to haul spoil and a number of swivel-tip JCB site dumpers.
Service backup is provided by Holt JCB, though Bylor has workshops and a team of engineers on site. Indeed, McCoppin is hoping to send some of the engineers to Holt JCB for specific JCB training on the telehandlers.