Hinkley Point C is the first of a new generation of nuclear power stations in Britain, and the training ground for almost everyone who will build the next one. This page sets out what it is, where it stands, who is building it, and what the hiring around it looks like today, with live figures from the weekly careers sweep, the senior moves reported in the trade press and published contract notices.
Hinkley Point C
The programme, the people building it and the leadership seats it creates.
What Hinkley Point C is
A new nuclear power station on the Somerset coast: two UK EPR units with a combined capacity of 3,260MW, enough low carbon electricity for around six million homes for 60 years.
The client is EDF, through NNB Generation Company (HPC) Ltd, which has held the site licence since November 2012. At the end of 2025 EDF held 76.69 per cent of the project and China General Nuclear 23.31 per cent, and since the end of 2023 the build has been financed by EDF's equity alone.
Sizewell C, in Suffolk, copies its design. EDF's 2025 results record a £1.6bn payment from Sizewell C to Hinkley Point C for its project expertise, which says plainly where the know-how for the next station sits.
Where it stands, November 2026
In February 2026 EDF set 2030 as its base case for first power from unit 1, a year later than its best case had been, and put the delay down to the mechanical, electrical and HVAC works. It put the cost at £35bn in 2015 prices, against £18bn at the start.
Unit 2 is catching up. Its reactor pressure vessel was lifted into place at the end of May 2026, and EDF says unit 2 is being built 20 to 30 per cent faster than unit 1, by the same teams on an identical design. On 1 October 2026 the 620 metre fish return tunnel under the Bristol Channel was completed.
The project reported in May 2026 that it had spent £5.4bn in the South West with 1,500 businesses there, and trained 1,740 apprentices against a target of 1,000.
The fit-out now sets the date
The fit-out now sets the date The delay to 2030 was put down to the mechanical, electrical and HVAC works, not the concrete.
The leaders in demand now are the ones who can install, test and hand over a nuclear plant.
Who is building it
BYLOR. The joint venture of Bouygues Travaux Publics and Laing O'Rourke holds the main civils works: the nuclear island, the conventional island and the balance of plant. It was named preferred bidder in 2012.
The MEH Joint Venture. Altrad, Balfour Beatty Bailey, Cavendish Nuclear and Doosan Babcock formed a joint venture on site in September 2018 to deliver the main mechanical, electrical and HVAC works, the cabling and the support services, with a central office managing the interfaces and the sequence of installation. This is the work that now sets the pace of the programme.
The supply chain. Behind both sits a large specialist supply chain, and all three partners in the Sizewell C civil works alliance, Balfour Beatty, Laing O'Rourke and Bouygues Travaux Publics, are already at Hinkley Point C.
The live picture
Read on 1 November 2026 from three public sources: the careers pages behind the Senior Hiring Index, the appointments the trade press reports, and the contract notices government buyers publish.
Leadership roles open at the main contractors
14 leadership roles are advertised today across Balfour Beatty and Laing O'Rourke. These are firm-wide counts: each of these businesses runs other work, so not every seat below sits on Hinkley Point C, but each is a seat in a business that is.
| Function | Open now | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Operations and delivery | 5 | Director General Manager, Painter Brothers; Head of Commissioning - England & Wales; Head of Commissioning - Scotland |
| Commercial | 4 | Project Commercial Director |
| Other leadership | 3 | Area Director; Chief Engineer - (Principal Engineer); Chief Engineer (Substation HV Plant) |
| Safety, quality and sustainability | 2 | Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing; Head of Quality |
| Employer | Open now |
|---|---|
| Balfour Beatty | 13 |
| Laing O'Rourke | 1 |
EDF, Bouygues Travaux Publics, Altrad, Cavendish Nuclear and Doosan Babcock are not on the careers sweep yet, so their openings are not counted here.
Senior moves, last six months
Director and board-level appointments into or out of the programme's client body and main firms, as reported in the trade press. Each links to the article.
- Emma Loxton, 2 September 2026: Balfour Beatty appoints McKinsey partner as strategy chief. Construction News
- Ed Egerton, 3 July 2026: Balfour Beatty appoints chief legal and commercial officer. facilitiesmanagement-now.com
- Angus Murray, 30 June 2026: New boss to lead Balfour major projects arm. Construction Enquirer
Contract awards, last twelve months
No contract award naming Hinkley Point C has been published on Find a Tender or Contracts Finder in the last twelve months. Much of the programme's spend is let through its own contractors and supply chain, which does not always reach the public notices.
The leadership seats it creates
Client side. EDF and NNB Generation Company need leadership for the move from construction to operation: commissioning, assurance and nuclear safety, and the commercial control of a programme that is still being funded by one shareholder.
The installation and commissioning work. Bulk mechanical, electrical and HVAC installation has been under way in unit 1 since the regulator consented to it in November 2021, and the senior seats that matter most now are in that work: project and construction directors who can install and test complex plant to nuclear standards, and commercial leaders for contracts measured in productivity rather than concrete.
Unit 2 and the people who leave. Each leader who moves from Hinkley Point C to Sizewell C leaves a seat to fill on unit 2, so the programme hires steadily even as it nears the end.
How a search for this programme runs
The leaders who have delivered on a nuclear new build in the UK are a small group, and almost all of them have worked at Hinkley Point C. A retained search maps all of them, approaches the people who are not looking, and assesses them properly before a shortlist is put in front of anyone. The process is set out stage by stage on the method page.
What this means if you are weighing a move
If you have delivered on Hinkley Point C, you are the person every nuclear programme in the country wants, and the timing is in your hands. Staying to see unit 1 generate is a strong line on any record; moving to Sizewell C early is a bigger remit on a longer programme. Both are good choices, made best on purpose rather than in reply to the first call.
If you are from outside nuclear, the clearest door is in mechanical, electrical and commissioning leadership, where experience from process plant, energy and other regulated industries counts. Expect the safety culture to be tested honestly rather than taken on trust.
What this means if you are hiring
Almost every leader with UK nuclear new build experience has worked here, and Sizewell C is drawing on the same people. Most of them are not looking, and an advert will mostly reach the ones who are. I would plan the senior appointments for each phase well ahead, and expect to approach people in post.
The skills in shortest supply have moved. A leader who has run mechanical, electrical and HVAC installation and commissioning to nuclear standards is harder to find than a strong civils director, and I would brief for that experience first.
01What is Hinkley Point C?
A new nuclear power station in Somerset: two EPR units with a combined capacity of 3,260MW, enough for around six million homes for 60 years. EDF is building it through NNB Generation Company (HPC) Ltd, which holds the site licence.
02When will Hinkley Point C generate and what will it cost?
In February 2026 EDF put first power from unit 1 in 2030 as its base case, and the cost at £35bn in 2015 prices. Unit 2 follows, and is being built 20 to 30 per cent faster than unit 1 by the same teams.
03Who are the main contractors on Hinkley Point C?
BYLOR, the joint venture of Bouygues Travaux Publics and Laing O'Rourke, holds the main civils works. The MEH Joint Venture of Altrad, Balfour Beatty Bailey, Cavendish Nuclear and Doosan Babcock delivers the mechanical, electrical and HVAC works, the cabling and the support services.
04What leadership roles does Hinkley Point C create?
At EDF and NNB Generation Company, programme, commissioning, assurance and nuclear safety leadership as the plant moves towards operation. In the contractors, project and construction directors for the installation and commissioning work, and commercial leaders for a contract base that is now mostly mechanical and electrical. Many of the same leaders are wanted at Sizewell C.
05Where do the live figures on this page come from?
The leadership roles come from the weekly careers-page sweep behind the Senior Hiring Index, which runs early every Monday, the moves from appointments reported in the trade press, and the awards from public notices on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder. The page re-reads them every few hours, so it is never more than a few hours behind them.
Start a conversation
If you are hiring into Hinkley Point C, or weighing a seat on it, I would welcome the chance to talk. No hard sell, no obligation.
The wider picture is on the nuclear sector page, the Sizewell C programme page and the Senior Hiring Index.
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