The setec group established itself in the UK in 2017, with the creation of setec Consulting Engineers Ltd (SCEL also known as «setec UK». This subsidiary has since grown significantly, especially around the High Speed 2 («HS2», a high-speed rail line between London and Birmingham) and Hinkley Point C («HPC», a new nuclear reactor) projects).
SCEL currently has about 50 employees: local hires, expatriates, local service providers, as well as a few international employees working on group projects in Madagascar and Saudi Arabia. The local teams rely largely on the group’s French teams (back-office), and on resources from the subsidiaries in Tunisia and Egypt. The challenge today is to structure SCEL and develop the entity into a fully-fledged operational company, capable of handling tenders and major contracts on behalf of the group, ensuring a growing share of local production, and expanding its areas of activity.
The prospects for the group in the UK are indeed promising: in the field of infrastructure for example, SCEL is preparing the sequel to the HS2 project and is assisting, in a Design Joint Venture (DJV) with WSP, the Kier-Eiffage construction consortium within the framework of two lots of the Lower Thames Crossing project; in the field of nuclear energy setec is positioned on the Sizewell project, and is also targeting the deep storage of radioactive waste.
HS2 – The high-speed line project between London and Birmingham: a major challenge for the group.
- Mireia Moreno, Director of the T2G Section for Detailed Design at the DJV ASC
- Rodney Woodward, Director of Construction Services at DJV ASC
- Soumaya Saidane, Head of Construction Support for the T2G section within the Construction Services team
The project is realised by the Arcadis/setec/Cowi Design Joint Venture (ASC) for the EKFB construction consortium (Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction, BAM Nuttall). DJV carried out the Scheme Design between 2017 and 2019 and has been working on the Detailed Design phase since 2020. Mireia Moreno (SCEL) leads the DJV team in charge of the T2G (Twyford to Greatworth) section, which involves around 250 staff from many of the group’s companies: SCEL, setec international, setec tpi, setec als, terrasol, setec ferroviaire, setec organisation, Hydratec, opency, setec mis, setec mtp and setec Egypte. We are also involved in the studies of the Calvert and G2S sections.
Work started a few months ago, and the DJV is involved in the construction supervision via the Construction Services team, headed by Rodney Woodward (SCEL). This team is involved in Construction Assurance (to control the conformity of the work with the design and requirements) and in Construction Assistance (interface between the design and construction teams). To date, approximately 25 SCEL employees (hired, local contractors, expatriates) are mobilised within the Construction Services team, and are based in the various section offices along the project route.
Hinkley Point C – A new nuclear power plant Julie Gaubert, Deputy Director of the ICOS consortium for setec, explains the group’s role in the Hinkley Point third nuclear power plant project, located near Bristol. Hinkley Point C is a nuclear power plant, equipped with two European Pressu-rized Reactors (EPR), currently under construction.
The setec group has been working on the project for several years within a consortium with Egis and Tractebel, under several successive contracts, with the mobilisation of the SCEL and setec nuclear teams, as well as terrasol and setec mtp. Contract 1229 (Site Design Liaison Team) covers the monitoring of the studies during the construction phase, and in particular the integration of changes in construction methods and processes affecting the structure.
The lot dedicated to our ICOS consortium includes the reactor building and the rest of the nuclear island. Julie Gaubert has been working since August 2018 on the execution studies of the project (project platform in Paris Montparnasse), and in May 2022 joined the SCEL team on the 1229 contract in Bristol, as Deputy Director of the consortium. She is now involved in the technical direction of the project and will also be responsible for the SCEL team dedicated to the project.