Preparing the earth for nuclear power:
Blackwell Earthmoving at Sizewell C

At Hargreaves, the work we do begins to shape the future of Britain. That’s certainly true for Blackwell Earthmoving, part of the Hargreaves group of companies, who were appointed as a Tier 1 contractor to Sizewell C, starting from October 2024.

The Sizewell C project is an extensive investment into the future of nuclear power in Britain. Situated just outside of East Suffolk, the project will eventually result in the construction of a 3.2 gigawatt nuclear power station, which will generate low-carbon electricity for up to 6 million homes across the country.

Before the project can even begin, the Sizewell C team needed companies just like Blackwell to lay the foundations for the work to come.

The first bulk earthworks Task Order was given to Blackwell, and involved 2.5 million metres cubed of topsoil stripping and bulk cut to fill. The earthworks were required to create development platforms for the Temporary Construction Area (TCA) and Ancillary construction area which will provide the infrastructure and support services to build the nuclear power station.

Working with respect and responsibility is in the core of Blackwell’s DNA as a company, so the work has been undertaken to the high standards of Sizewell C at all times. Sizewell’s development consent commitments required a large proportion of the topsoil strip to be undertaken by an Archaeological watching brief.

The amount of topsoil stripped was in excess of 500,000 metres cubes and was deposited into temporary stockpiles (depending on classification) and will be stored, ready for reuse during the project.

Precision matters deeply when working on a project such as this, and the Blackwell fleet and wider team are on-hand to make sure that’s exactly what happens.