A simple comparison 3,200 MWe
Just been at a b-day party in the UK. Drove past and did a LONG u turn to get back to the largest Data Centre in the EU. It’s in Wales- It is going to add another 30% size/capacity! Vantage Data Centers | Colocation for Enterprise and Wholesale
Just across the Bristol Chanel is Hinkley point A, B and the amazing new Hinkley Point C Hinkley Point C | EDF
Hinkley Point C | December 2025
I saw 20 double decker buses bring and taking workers on a Saturday evening at building Hinley Point C. 2027 completion date. It was Amazing to see.
Trivia
Hinkley Point A was one of three Magnox power stations located close to the mouth of the River Severn and the Bristol Channel, the others being Oldbury, and Berkeley.
The construction of the power station, which was undertaken by a consortium backed by English Electric, Babcock & Wilcox Ltd and Taylor Woodrow Construction,[5] began in 1957. The reactors and the turbines were supplied by English Electric.[6]
On 22 April 1966, the Minister of Power Richard Marsh officially opened the new nuclear power plant.[7][8]
Hinkley Point B nuclear power station was a nuclear power station near Bridgwater, Somerset, on the Bristol Channel coast of south west England. It was the first commercial Advanced Gas Cooled reactor to generate power to the National Grid in 1976 and shares its design with sister station Hunterston B nuclear power station. It ceased operations permanently on 1 August 2022. As of December 2025, defuelling of the reactors is complete.
Hinkley Point C nuclear power station (HPC) is a two-unit, 3,200 MWe EPR nuclear power station under construction in Somerset, England
How much power is 3,200 MWe in an Australian context?
In an Australian context, 3,200 MWe (Megawatts electric) is a massive amount of power.
To put it in perspective for you, specifically living in Victoria and interested in the energy market:
1. It is effectively the entire Loy Yang Complex
You know the Loy Yang power stations in the Latrobe Valley?
Loy Yang A is about 2,210 MW.
Loy Yang B is about 1,100 MW.
Combined: ~3,300 MW.
So, 3,200 MWe is essentially equal to the entire Loy Yang complex (A and B combined). This complex currently supplies about 50% of Victoria’s total electricity needs.
Despite the CSIRO Gen cost report, I thought this very interesting “
1. The “Sticker Power” (Nameplate Capacity) Of Wind and Solar Power in Victoria
If you look purely at the maximum theoretical size of Victoria’s fleet, the renewables look much larger than 3,200 MW.
Rooftop Solar: ~4,800 MW (This is huge—effectively 5 million panels across the state).
Wind Farms: ~4,500 MW (Estimated based on current generation figures).
Large Scale Solar Farms: ~1,500 MW.
Total Vic Solar & Wind Capacity: ~10,800 MW
The Comparison: On paper, Victoria’s wind and solar fleet is more than 3 times larger than that 3,200 MW plant.
2. The “Real World” (Actual Energy Produced)
This is where the numbers flip, and why you are interested in uranium. Because the sun sets and the wind stops, those renewable sources only run part of the time (approx. 15-25% for solar, 30-35% for wind). A nuclear plant runs 90-95% of the time.
Here is the annual energy output (based on the 2024/25 financial year data):
Vic Wind + Solar (All of it combined): Generated approx. 20,600 GWh of electricity.
A single 3,200 MW Nuclear Plant: Would generate approx. 26,600 GWh of electricity.
The Verdict
A single 3,200 MW power station (like the hypothetical one we discussed) would generate more actual electricity in a year than every single solar panel and wind turbine currently installed in Victoria combined.