Significant fire safety concerns have been uncovered at Hinkley Point C, the new nuclear power station being built near Burnham-On-Sea, following an inspection by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR).
Inspectors identified a series of “significant” shortfalls during a December visit, including combustible waste left on emergency exit stairs, inadequate fire‑risk assessments and an insufficient number of escape routes for the number of workers on site.
As a result, the ONR has issued fire safety enforcement notices to five contractors involved in mechanical, electrical, heating and ventilation work at the site: Altrad Babcock, Altrad Services, Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick Ltd, Cavendish Nuclear and NG Bailey. Each organisation must now address the issues ahead of the next inspection.
The ONR said the waste material found on a staircase did not block the exit but could have compromised access in the event of a fire. Inspectors stressed that while the shortfalls did not increase the likelihood of a fire starting, they could have affected workers’ ability to escape safely.
Mahtab Khan, ONR’s head of regulation, said fire safety “is not optional” and warned that the regulator will not hesitate to act where standards fall short. He added that progress has already been made in identifying the root causes of the problems.
A spokesperson for Hinkley Point C said the project team is working closely with contractors to ensure improvements are made, adding that “safety is our overriding priority.”
The enforcement notices follow a separate case in December, when civil engineering firm Bylor JV was told to improve its fire controls after inspectors found a “risk of serious injury.”
Hinkley Point C, the first nuclear plant to be built in Britain in more than 30 years, has faced rising costs and delays. The project is now estimated at £46bn, up from £18bn in 2017, and is expected to open in 2031.
