Hinkley Point C has today named Nicola Fauvel as its first station director. The experienced nuclear engineer will lead the new nuclear power station through commissioning and into operation.
Nicola will return to the Somerset new build project early next year after three years as first plant manager and then station director at neighbouring Hinkley Point B. She led the team that defueled the station in preparation for handover to the Government organisation responsible for decommissioning. Her appointment in 2024 saw Nicola become only the second woman to head up a British nuclear power station.
Nicola, who describes herself as “almost genetically programmed to be an engineer”, has worked in the civil nuclear industry for 26 years. She has held a number of technical, leadership and project manager roles, as well as 13 years as part of the Hinkley Point C project. Her nuclear career began at Torness power station in Scotland and she has also worked for EDF in Paris on reactor design and at Flamanville in Normandy, where a sister EPR power station is now generating electricity.
Nicola said:
“I have loved leading the team at Hinkley Point B as custodians of the site as there is such a proud heritage and real sense of community. I am now excited and humbled to be taking on the challenge of preparing Hinkley Point C for generation. Building the right operational organisation is just as crucial as the fantastic engineering feats being achieved daily by the construction team.”
Nicola is a staunch believer in the nuclear industry and the wider possibilities it opens up for people of all backgrounds and she is looking forward to being an advocate for those opportunities in her new role.
Stuart Crooks, Hinkley Point C’s CEO, said:
Nicola’s leadership and experience on operating stations, as well as her previous experience of new nuclear projects, will be invaluable as we accelerate our commissioning phase. Taking up the role now enables Nicola to build knowledge and evolve from pre-operations to an operational organisation that will be capable of generating into the next century.
Hinkley Point C’s twin nuclear reactors will provide reliable zero-carbon electricity for more than six million homes, boosting Britain’s energy security for decades to come.
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