Sizewell C nuclear plant to phase out diesel on site by 2030

The news comes after Sizewell C, the public-private joint venture developing the plant announced it was signing up to the Construction Leadership Council’s Five Client Carbon Commitments earlier this month.

The Five Client Carbon Commitments encourage infrastructure clients to take practical action to reduce emissions across the construction sector by:

• Procuring for low-carbon construction
• Measuring and managing carbon consistently by adopting PAS 2080 as a common carbon management standard
• Phasing out fossil fuel use in construction activities
• Reducing the use of the most carbon-intensive concrete products
• Reducing the use of the most carbon-intensive steel products

The commitment to phase out diesel over the next three years, Construction Briefing understands.

It has already started working with other major UK projects, including the £11 billion Lower Thames Crossing, where a fleet of 30 zero emissions machines is already on site, with a peak of 150 expected by 2028. Sizewell C is also learning from the HS2 high speed railway project, where project bosses are aiming for a diesel-free construction site by 2029.

And it is a member of the Infrastructure Industry Innovation Partnership (i3P), which aims to accelerate the advancement and adoption of low carbon solutions.

Sizewell C is expected to adopt multiple technologies to achieve its target, taking a systems-based approach based around the principles of efficiency, electrification, and fuel switching.

It also already undertaken work with Balfour Beatty and Syntech Biofuel to trial a UK-produced biofuel made from UK-derived waste cooking oil. The trial took place at the Balfour Beatty Flannery Operators Skills Hub, where two 25-tonne Caterpillar excavators were put through realistic operating cycles to compare the performance of the biofuel with conventional diesel. The aim of the exercise is to reduce both emissions and potentially also carbon due to the waste-derived feedstock and UK-based production.

Balfour Beatty is part of the Civil Works Alliance, alongside Laing O’Rourke and Bouygues Travaux Publics, the delivery team for the main civil works at Sizewell C.

Commenting on Sizewell C joining the Five Client Carbon Commitments, Bertrand Michoud, Sizewell C chief operating officer, said, “Sizewell C will deliver clean, safe and reliable energy for generations, but how we deliver is as important as what we deliver. We have a unique and exciting opportunity to set a new benchmark for the nuclear industry and for major British infrastructure.

“Through the Five Client Carbon Commitments, Sizewell C is committing to practical actions that will reduce emissions across our project and supply chain, from low-carbon procurement and materials to a future without diesel-powered construction activities.”