The 250 m-tall SGC 250 ring crane from Sarens lifted a 170-tonne prefabricated part of a reactor’s steel containment liner at EDF’s Hinkley Point C project site during December.
According to EDF, engineers and lifting specialists worked through the night to complete “the first big lift” at the project site in the UK.
The giant crane, named Big Carl, arrived at the Hinkley site last year. It will lift 700 pieces for the project – the largest items weighing 1,600 tonnes.
Hinkley Point C managing director Stuart Crooks said: “The first big lift is another impressive achievement and I want to thank the teams who have worked so hard to make this possible. The experience from civil and nuclear construction and operation across the world at Hinkley Point C is first class and I am pleased to say that we have ended 2019 with all milestones achieved.
“We know that Hinkley Point C’s success is essential in the fight against climate change – in a future when renewables and nuclear will be needed to fill an energy gap as we move away from polluting fossil fuels.”
