Whoever takes to the skies in a plane…

It has been a long journey – both in terms of distance and time – to arrive at these photos taken from the top of the first tower crane supporting the construction of Unit 5. In order for someone to work at height – in our case, on a Zoomlion crane – whether it be for photography or filming, they must complete various training courses and undergo a medical fitness examination. Having all this in order, my colleague and I head down to the -16-metre level of the excavation pit to meet our guides, as the crane towers over the construction site from the northern terrace of Block 5. The crane’s base, which is comparable in height to a twenty-storey building, was cast from some three hundred cubic metres of concrete. From here we set off upwards after a final briefing. We make our way from landing to landing, strictly one after the other, as the bulky photography and video equipment is no easy thing to haul up the fire escape. At the second „landing”, we leave ground level behind, meaning we are now out of the pit. Surprisingly, for a moment it doesn’t even occur to us to be afraid; for although the machine looks graceful from a distance, it is in fact robust and safe, with triple-row railings protecting us, and the wind that has picked up in the meantime doesn’t even budge the structure, which weighs a total of 300 tonnes.

We hardly even notice when we reach the top of the reactor vessel and step out through a trapdoor onto the 80-metre-long jib. Turning south, the view before us is indescribable: in the excavation pit of Unit 5, the base slab of the nuclear island is currently being concreted, with mixers coming and going to supply the concrete pumps. Steelwork is underway in the section next to the concrete pouring, whilst a little further away, specialists are working on the insulation of the formwork. The contours of the future reactor building’s foundation are also clearly visible. In the south-western corner of the excavation pit, the next tower crane is taking shape, and that’s not all: looking north, one can see countless earth-moving machines, crawler excavators, bulldozers and four-axle lorries at work on the excavation for Unit 6. Behind the monstrous machines, which look like matchboxes from up here, the concrete plant supplying the works comes into view. It takes a moment to take in the sight before the camera starts clicking and the video starts rolling.

A little later, now back on solid ground, we find ourselves marvelling at the twilight sky, ablaze with dramatic colours. As the floodlights illuminating the area—the size of three football pitches—come to life, we slowly say our goodbyes, whilst the night shift gets underway in the excavation pit of Block 5.