World's largest crane ‘Big Carl' lifts reactor dome into place at Hinkley Point C
The placement of the dome allows the fit-out of the 44-metre-high second reactor to accelerate.
The twin nuclear reactors at the site in Somerset will provide reliable zero-carbon electricity for more than six million homes, boosting Britain's energy security for decades to come.
The Government has recently committed to building the Sizewell C plant in Suffolk and the development of new small modular reactors (SMRs).
Stuart Crooks, chief executive officer of Hinkley Point C, said: 'Restarting the industry has been hard, but the second of our two identical units shows the big benefits of repeating an identical design.
'Build and repeat is the best way to build new nuclear with time savings already at 20% to 30%.
'All our experience and innovation will benefit Sizewell C from the start.'
Energy minister Michael Shanks added: 'Hinkley Point C will deliver the next generation of clean, homegrown nuclear power, creating high quality jobs and growth in Somerset and across its supply chains.'
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Times
2 hours ago
- Times
How I plan to survive retirement without a state pension
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As the last review concluded in 2023 — and the government only has to review the age every six years — this was earlier than expected. It's looking likely that the age at which you get your state pension will rise sooner than planned. The state pension age is 66, increasing to 67 between 2026 and 2028. Another jump to 68 is pencilled in for 2046, but will probably be moved forward. To assume that the state pension age will stay at 68 by the time I get there (in about 38 years) would be foolish. In fact, to assume there will be any state pension at all is unwise. The state pension is a financial headache for the government. It costs about 5 per cent of GDP, up from about 3.5 per cent in the year 2000, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), and is forecast to be 7.7 per cent by 2070. It's also getting harder to find the cash to fund it. People are living longer and having fewer babies — aka future taxpayers. 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Even then, the fact that you are saving regularly into a pension means you get a smoother journey even with a relatively high content invested in the stock market.' Historically, the stock market has provided the best investment returns in the long run. If, 30 years ago, you had invested £1,000 in the Investment Association's global sector of funds that are invested entirely in stocks, you would have £8,150 today. The sector of funds that are 40 to 85 per cent invested in the stock market would have returned £5,657, while the 20 to 60 per cent stocks option would have returned £4,362. But most pensions are not invested in 100 per cent equities, even for workers who are just starting out. Most pension savers are automatically enrolled into workplace pensions and put into 'default' funds — a one-size-fits-all option that has to be appropriate for 20-year-olds and 50-year-olds. This means that many default funds will only have about 60 to 70 per cent of their pot invested in shares. The rest will be in assets such as cash or bonds, that are considered less volatile but are also unlikely to grow at the same rate. Effectively, these pots are simply the least worst fit for the workforce as a whole. • How to stop the taxman taking a big slice of your pension I confess that this is still how my pension savings are invested. James Coker from the wealth manager Quilter Cheviot said this was unlikely to be my best chance at building a hefty pension pot. He said: 'Moving your pots into an equity portfolio will serve you well over the long term. Someone in their thirties or forties is arguably decades away from retirement and stocks have the greatest inflation-adjusted growth potential. Stocks have to form the basis, if not all, of your portfolio.' With the ever-increasing likelihood that my income in retirement will be on my shoulders alone, it's time to make the move. 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Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
Donald Trump 'loves standing on the soil of Scotland', Ian Murray reveals
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The Herald Scotland
5 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Donald Trump lands in Scotland ahead of four-day visit
Trump will visit both of the golf clubs he owns in the country – Turnberry in South [[Ayr]]shire and Menie, near Aberdeen - during the visit, which has been described as 'private' by the White House. His meeting with Sir Keir Starmer is seen as a chance to refine the UK-US trade deal which came into force last month. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen also confirmed that she will meet with Trump in Scotland on Sunday. READ MORE Before boarding the presidential plane Air Force One to fly to Scotland, Trump said he is looking forward to meeting John Swinney. He told journalists: 'The Scottish leader is a good man, so I look forward to meeting him.' He also said he has a 'lot of love' for Scotland. Trump's presence is likely to spark protests across the country, with Police Scotland being forced to request aid from other forces to help increase manpower for the trip. Former Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has called for the UK Government to meet the full costs of the visit to Scotland. It comes after warnings that Mr Trump's visit will come at considerable expense to the taxpayer, with one former police chief estimating it will cost more than £5 million. Police outside the perimeter of Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire, ahead of the arrival of Donald Trump to begin his private trip to the country (Image: Robert Perry) In a statement, Mr MacAskill said: "We are seeing our police service drained, front line policing undermined and officers burned out as a result of the pressures being put on Police Scotland to police the Trump visit to Scotland. "The private visit is only taking place because Sir Keir Starmer wanted the visit to take place away from Parliament. Therefore it is only right and proper that full cost reimbursement for the massive policing costs of the Trump visit should be met from the coffers of the UK and not the Scottish Government. 'The UK Government met the core costs when world leaders came to Scotland for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and that is the very least that should happen now. 'But this private trip is only happening because the UK Government have invited Trump to the UK and so they should meet the full costs. 'We must not have the double whammy of our police services being stretched while at the same time the Scottish Government having to pick up the massive costs of policing the Trump visit. That is why the [[UK Government]] must meet the full costs for the visit and the disruption which they have imposed on Scotland.' Meanwhile, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said Trump's visit to Scotland is in the 'public interest'. Speaking to journalists during a visit to the Rolls-Royce factory near Glasgow Airport on Friday morning, the Chancellor talked up the importance of the visit. 'It's in Britain's national interest to have strong relations with the US administration and as a result of both that long-term special relationship, but actually more importantly, the work that our Prime Minister Keir Starmer has done in building that relationship with President Trump has meant that we were the first country in the world to secure a trade deal,' she said. 'That has a tangible benefit for people here in Scotland, whether it is people working in the Scotch whisky industry or people working in the defence sector like here at Rolls-Royce, that trade deal means lower tariffs than any country in the world on things that we send to the US.'
