A central nuclear de Hinkley Point C (HPC) é um dos maiores e mais complexos projetos tecnologicamente da Europa.

A HPC é a primeira central nuclear a ser construída no Reino Unido numa geração e a sua construção requer uma mão-de-obra altamente qualificada e as melhores soluções de construção e engenharia.

The HPC Project is located in Somerset, South West England, and will consist of two nuclear reactors capable of generating 3.2GW of low-carbon electricity.

The new power station is being constructed in the same area as the existing Hinkley Point A and B stations. The former has ceased operation for quite some time, while the latter is decommissioning in 2022.

A Dextra foi encarregada do fornecimento de emendas mecânicas de reforço de concreto para partes do HPC, principalmente o invólucro de proteção contra impacto da aeronave do reator.

More than 2.5 million Griptec couplers are supplied for the construction of HPC.

Griptec is designed to comply with the most stringent project specifications, and has proven to be a popular system of choice for EPR nuclear power stations, having been used for the construction of the Flamanville 3, Taishan 1, and Taishan 2 power stations.

The Griptec mechanical splice consists of two steel sleeves which are swaged onto the end of the reinforcing bars by a specific machine that was designed and patented by Dextra.

Esta máquina de estampagem incorpora um teste sistemático de tração não destrutivo. Griptec é o único sistema de acoplamento que proporciona controle automático de qualidade de cada barra processada.

Besides Griptec couplers, Dextra is also supplying 3 million headed bars to the project. These are reinforcing bars that are bent on one side and fitted with an anchorage head on the other side and are used for the transverse reinforcement of concrete slabs, rafts, and walls. They allow a much faster and safer site installation than conventional double-bend bars.

When complete, HPC will provide low-carbon electricity for around six million homes.