GE Steam Power announced today that it has designed and manufactured the largest-ever (75-inch) last-stage blade for its Arabelle low-pressure rotor. The blade will enable the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant under construction in Somerset, England to produce 3.2 GWe of CO2 free power, GE said. Once completed, this Arabelle steam turbine will be the most powerful nuclear steam turbine in operation. It was tested at GE's factory in Belfort, France.

Inserted into a balancing pit specifically designed for large turbines, the 8-meter wide bladed module was rotated at a speed of 1500 revolutions per minute, similar to its future site conditions.

"This major turbine part is a first quarter 2021 milestone for Hinkley Point C achieved on time, despite the pandemic," said Guillaume Callewaert, EDF HPC programme director. "This large component will be delivered to site and support the mechanical and electrical ramp-up phase of our project in the coming months."

Last-stage blades are part of the low-pressure module in a steam turbine generator which converts steam into electricity in a nuclear power plant. Longer blades increase efficiency of a steam turbine and allow to further optimise backpressure, all of which contribute to greater power output from the nuclear power plant, GE Steam Power said.

"Hinkley Point C is key to the UK’s energy strategy to reduce the power industry emissions," said Frédéric Wiscart, senior executive of projects at GE Steam Power. "Once completed, it will deliver 3.2 GWe of dependable, CO2 free electricity to the grid for the next 60 years."

As part of its contract for the engineering, procurement, and commissioning of the two conventional islands for Hinkley Point C, GE Steam Power is manufacturing and delivering critical equipment that includes the Arabelle steam turbine and generators.

In January, GE Steam Power delivered the first Arabelle steam turbine module for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey. This was the first equipment delivered by GE for the project, and it was delivered four months ahead of schedule.

GE’s full scope for Akkuyu includes all the major equipment for the nuclear power plant’s four turbine islands including the Arabelle steam turbines, the Gigatop 4 poles generators and the vacuum pumps in the turbine hall. Akkuyu is Turkey’s first nuclear power plant and, when completed, it will have a capacity of 4.8 GWe.

GE Steam Power said that, following the delivery of its equipment to Akkuyu, the company is helping to install more than 20 GWe of CO2-free energy in the coming years thanks to its Arabelle steam turbine technology, "consolidating the fleet" to 53 GWe globally.