EDF increases GIS software use at Hinkley Point C nuclear power site

EDF is growing the use of a geographic information system for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station development mission in Somerset.

The system provider is Esri UK. EDF is utilizing it to create a portal that offers a single view of all the mission.

Jon Dolphin, mission supervisor and GIS lead at HPC stated, in a press release from Esri: “The scale of the mission presents a fancy logistical problem.

“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.”

The portal was arrange in a proof-of-concept mission in 2020, then carried out it absolutely within the spring of final 12 months.

More not too long ago, the system has been opened as much as what EDF calls “Tier one” contractors, when development of the nuclear reactors began. There are 1,500 folks utilizing it.

Dolphin stated: “Small pilots showed what was possible. Users now browse the spatial data, explore applications and enable new digital workflows relevant to them. The number of portal users is growing daily as more people become aware of what GIS has to offer and more use cases emerge.”

Hinkley Point C is one in all Europe’s largest development tasks, with 8,000 staff on the 450-acre site. It is the UK’s first new nuclear power station constructed since Sizewell B in 1995. 

EDF claims that it’s going to present round 7% of the UK’s electrical energy, powering round 6 million houses.

The GIS has changed paper checklists, clipboards and spreadsheets. Esri cited emergency planning knowledge, stated for use to offer assurance for regulatory functions, which has now gone digital, collected on tablets and showing in real-time within the GIS portal.

Another instance of spreadsheet alternative that Dolphin gave within the Esri assertion is an app created to enhance the administration of generator allow requests. HPC wanted to watch emissions because the site grew and wished an in depth understanding of generator use.

Contractors now have the power to use a cell app as a substitute of a spreadsheet, to click on on a location and request a generator which is submitted right into a workflow for approval. “The new digital approach has replaced the previous spreadsheet-based system, which lacked auditability and had no spatial context,” he stated.

“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,” he added.

Future plans embrace utilizing the GIS to trace and optimise the use of plant across the site to scale back emissions and make transport companies extra clever, by monitoring the site’s buses and different autos.