The United Kingdom is building its largest nuclear new build programme in 40 years two EPR units at Hinkley Point C (Somerset, construction ongoing) and two EPR units at Sizewell C (Suffolk, planning stage). EDF Energy and Framatome lead the Hinkley Point C programme; Sizewell C will use the same EPR design. Combined, these four units represent the largest nuclear construction investment in UK history and create substantial demand for RCC-M compliant nuclear-grade forged components sourced through the Framatome supply chain.
Hinkley Point C — two 1,650 MWe EPR units in Somerset is Europe’s largest nuclear construction project, with total investment exceeding £35 billion. EDF Energy (60% ownership) and China General Nuclear Power Group (40%) are the project partners. Framatome supplies the reactor island components including RPV, steam generators, and pressuriser. The Hinkley Point C supply chain is managed through Framatome’s global procurement organisation, with some UK content requirements specified by the UK government to maximise UK industrial benefit.
The EPR design uses five steam generators per reactor significantly more than the four used in standard 900 MWe and 1,300 MWe French PWRs. This increases the steam generator nozzle forging count per unit to approximately 80–100 nozzle forgings (inlet and outlet nozzles for each of five steam generators). At two units, Hinkley Point C alone requires 160–200 steam generator nozzle forgings — a substantial procurement volume for a single project. With Sizewell C adding an equivalent volume in the 2028–2035 timeframe, the total UK EPR nozzle forging procurement represents a sustained opportunity.
The UK nuclear regulator (ONR – Office for Nuclear Regulation) oversees the safety case for Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C. ONR applies Generic Design Assessment (GDA) to nuclear reactor designs and oversees the implementation of safety cases during construction. For forging manufacturers, ONR oversight is indirect ONR regulates EDF Energy and Framatome, who are responsible for ensuring their supply chain (including forging manufacturers) meets the safety case requirements. However, ONR may conduct supply chain inspections if concerns arise about the quality of safety-significant components.
Sizewell C — if the Final Investment Decision (FID) is taken as anticipated, with the UK government as a significant investor represents a longer-term but larger opportunity than Hinkley Point C. Sizewell C’s procurement will benefit from lessons learned at Hinkley Point C, including supply chain qualification timelines and forging procurement lead times. Indian forging manufacturers who qualify for Hinkley Point C nozzle forging supply through Framatome are well positioned to continue supply into the Sizewell C programme.
IBR certification providing the independent witness inspection discipline analogous to RCC-M Level 2 requirements.
AS9100D quality system foundation for RCC-M Level 1 programme development.
SA-508 Grade 3 / 18MND5 material sourcing identified (Creusot Forge).
NABL OES chemistry with embrittlement-sensitive element verification.
Open die forging to 15,000 kg covers Hinkley Point C steam generator nozzle weight range.
NQA-1 gap analysis completed — formal RCC-M / UK ONR quality programme development available as part of qualification engagement with Framatome UK.
Frequently Asked Questions
1.What is the difference between RCC-M compliance for Hinkley Point C and ASME Section III compliance for US nuclear programmes?+–
Both RCC-M and ASME Section III are nuclear pressure equipment design codes with very similar technical requirements the material, heat treatment, NDE, and quality assurance requirements are essentially equivalent. The differences are administrative: RCC-M uses French material designations (18MND5 versus SA-508 Grade 3), requires documentation in French or with certified French translations for some regulatory submissions, and references French regulatory requirements (ASN – Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire) rather than NRC. For Indian forging manufacturers, technical compliance with one standard transfers directly to the other the primary adaptation work is in documentation format and material designation equivalency.
2. What UK content requirements apply to Hinkley Point C component procurement?+–
The UK government negotiated UK content commitments from EDF Energy as a condition of approving the Hinkley Point C project with a target of 57% UK content by value in the overall project. For forging components specifically, the UK content requirement has been interpreted as preferring UK-manufactured or UK-processed components where qualified suppliers exist. Framatome UK sources some nozzle forgings from UK forge shops (Sheffield Forgemasters before its financial difficulties) and European sources. Indian forging supply is not excluded Indian components are not ‘UK content’ but Hinkley Point C procurement decisions are made on quality and cost grounds, not strict UK content requirements for individual forging components.
3.What is ONR’s Generic Design Assessment (GDA) and how does it affect the forging supply chain?+–
GDA is the UK nuclear regulator’s (ONR) process for assessing new nuclear reactor designs before construction. The EPR completed GDA in 2012 Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C can proceed under this existing GDA approval. GDA assesses the reactor design’s safety case at a high level; it does not assess individual component manufacturers. ONR’s role in the supply chain is through oversight of EDF Energy’s and Framatome’s quality management systems if ONR has concerns about the quality of safety-significant components (which could arise from audit findings or incidents), ONR can require EDF to investigate and potentially suspend procurement from specific sources. Indian forging manufacturers in the supply chain are subject to indirect ONR oversight through Framatome’s quality programme.
4.What is Framatome UK and how does it differ from Framatome France for UK nuclear procurement?+–
Framatome UK is Framatome’s UK subsidiary, managing Framatome’s activities on the Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C projects. While the parent company is Framatome (France), Framatome UK has its own procurement and quality management infrastructure for UK projects. This means UK procurement decisions including forging supplier qualification may be made by Framatome UK independently from Framatome France’s global procurement organisation, though the technical standards (RCC-M, 18MND5) are applied consistently. Indian forging manufacturers qualifying for Hinkley Point C supply engage Framatome UK as their primary contact rather than the French headquarters though qualification outcomes are typically recognised across Framatome’s global organisation.
5.When will Sizewell C forging procurement begin and what should Indian manufacturers do now to prepare?+–
Sizewell C’s Final Investment Decision (FID) was anticipated in 2025–2026 with construction beginning 2027–2028 and first power in the late 2030s. Forging procurement for Sizewell C’s first unit would typically begin 3–4 years before reactor assembly approximately 2030–2032. Indian forging manufacturers who want to supply Sizewell C should begin qualification activities by 2027–2028 at the latest allowing 2–3 years for the Framatome qualification process before procurement begins. The most effective preparation is to qualify for Hinkley Point C supply now (2025–2026) and leverage that qualification track record when Sizewell C procurement opens. Framatome qualification is expected to transfer between UK EPR projects.
