As part of the “Green Deal”, the EU Commission wants no more greenhouse gases to be emitted by 2050. Under certain conditions, gas and nuclear power plant investments are classified as climate-friendly.
The Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant also falls under this deal: the plant, under construction in Somerset, UK, will supply six million British households from 2026. With an area of 1.74 square kilometres and construction costs of 27 billion euros, it is one of the largest and most expensive nuclear power plants in Europe. The ultra-modern plant is financed by state-owned companies from France and China. BUTTING is supplying welded stainless steel pipes for the project. The RCC-M Code, the French guideline for constructing components for pressurised water reactors, serves as the contractual basis for all manufacturing requirements.
More than 200 tonnes of welded stainless steel pipes in steel grade 1.4404 were produced in the Knesebeck main factory in the dimensions 273 x 4.19 to 813 x 12.7 mm. BUTTING was also commissioned to manufacture super duplex pipes according to RCC-M for the first time. “Due to the safety requirements, the customer placed high demands on the production, documentation and instruction of our employees,” reports Christian Schenk, Head of Sales Stainless steel welded pipes. BUTTING was able to meet these special challenges “at the highest level”.
The issue of climate protection divides Europe. France relies on low-CO₂ nuclear power, while other nations like Denmark plan to fulfil all of their energy needs with renewable energies like wind power. In Poland, coal is still the number one energy supplier. “Although countries agree on higher European climate targets, they are embarking on different paths,” BUTTING explains. The path that will ultimately be classified as green remains to be seen.
