EDF has used enterprise GIS from Esri UK to create a geospatial portal for Hinkley Point C (HPC) nuclear power station, coordinating 8,000 workers across the 450-acre site
The GIS portal employed by EDF is sharing a single view of the entire Hinkley Point C project, helping employees and contractors work seamlessly and improve safety and productivity.
Recently opened-up to include Tier 1 contractors when construction of the nuclear reactors started, the portal now has over 1,500 users.
Hinkley Point C is the UK’s first new nuclear power station built since Sizewell B in 1995.
The infrastructure will provide around 7% of the UK’s electricity, power around 6m homes and contribute to the UK Government’s Net Zero target.
Creating a central source of data
The GIS portal provides an interactive primary site map contains over 100 different data layers, from BIM models and CAD data including Revit models, to construction operations, temporary works, utilities, logistics and emergency preparedness.
This central source of all spatial data, maps, apps and dashboard combines multiple sources of information and makes them available to everyone on site.
“The scale of the project presents a complex logistical challenge,” said Jon Dolphin, construction project manager and GIS lead at HPC. “Clarity of construction data is critical and the GIS portal provides a single view of this, which drives collaboration as people can see where things are happening and when.
“Every employee or contractor is making decisions based on the same data. The confidence this generates makes decision-making faster and strengthens the ability of teams to work more efficiently. As a result, we’ve seen improvements in quality, safety and productivity.”
Digitising workflows and increasing efficiencies
Esri GIS has enhanced HPC’s ability to collect data out in the field, replacing manual methods using paper checklists, clipboards and spreadsheets.
One example is emergency planning data, used to provide assurance for regulatory purposes, which is now collected on tablets and appears in real-time in the GIS portal. Managers view and report on it using dashboards, helping to make more informed decisions.
Temporary Works teams use similar new digital workflows, for planning and inspecting hundreds of simultaneous works, including excavations, earth works, scaffolding, ramps or form work for reinforced concrete pours.
Adding the spatial context means contractor activities do not clash while physical surveys now take a fraction of the time.
Using GIS apps and integrated dashboards for data input and reporting, eliminates the need to transfer information into a report when staff return to the desktop.
The GIS Portal can be used to track emissions across site
HPC needed to monitor emissions as the site grew and wanted a detailed understanding of generator use.
With the GIS portal, contractors have the ability to use a new mobile app instead of a spreadsheet, to click on a location and request a generator which is submitted into a workflow for approval.
A dashboard displays the data so electrical and environmental teams can optimise the use of generators and reduce emissions across the site. “The new digital approach has replaced the previous spreadsheet-based system, which lacked auditability and had no spatial context,” said Dolphin.
The portal will see another increase in usage when the MEH phase (Mechanical, Electrical and HVAC) ramps up in 2023, to manage permitting and controlling what is being built on site. This phase will see contractors work together on the complex installation of cabling, pipework and equipment for the power station’s 2,500 rooms.
Future plans include using GIS to track and optimise the use of plant around the site to reduce emissions and make transport services more intelligent, by tracking the site’s buses and other vehicles.
“Having one GIS portal for our construction data is immensely powerful for breaking down communication barriers, getting everyone on the same page and improving collaboration,” concluded Dolphin. “The use of Esri GIS at Hinkley Point C was a cultural shift for many people but new digital approaches soon become indispensable when working on such complex engineering projects.”
