A specialist subcontractor on Hinkley Point C (HPC) is taking the main contractor joint venture (JV) to the High Court to enforce a £24m adjudication.
Darchem Engineering Ltd took Bylor – the Laing O’Rourke and Bouygues Travaux Publics JV constructing the nuclear site – to three adjudications in 2025 over delays, changes to the scope of work and payment disputes.
Following the third adjudication, Darchem’s total award stands at £23.94m. However, Bylor has yet to comply with the orders.
In a High Court hearing on Wednesday (28 January), Darchem will ask a judge to make a summary judgment in the case to enforce the debt ahead of Bylor filing its defence.
The dispute between the parties stems from a subcontract they entered into in October 2018.
It saw Darchem and its unincorporated JV partner Framatome Ltd agree to design, manufacture and install specialised stainless steel components for HPC, including pools, pits and tanks.
Framatome is a nuclear reactor manufacturer that is part of EDF, the French energy company delivering HPC.
Last year, Darchem took Bylor to three separate adjudications.
The first was in February 2025 after Darchem complained that Bylor had released design information late, causing a “critical delay” to its subcontracted works.
The adjudicator, Matthew Molloy, found that a 316-day delay had occurred between 21 May 2018 and 15 August 2019. He awarded Darchem £2.4m in costs caused by the setback.
The second adjudication concerned the valuation of work omitted from the contract.
Dachem had placed the value of the omission between nil and £18.8m.
In his decision on 23 July 2025, Molloy – who was again appointed adjudicator – held that the correct value of the omitted work was £31.95m.
However, in a certificate of payment sent on 12 September, Bylor sought to deduct £91.5m – a considerably higher amount than the adjudicator had ruled.
It led to Darchem seeking a third adjudication on 6 October, where it claimed that Bylor had failed to comply with the previous rulings.
On 27 October, Molloy found that Bylor had breached the earlier awards and was contractually required to pay Darchem the corrected sum of £23.94m plus VAT, his fees of £1,787 plus VAT and any accrued interest.
The figure is the net amount owed following the two earlier adjudication awards.
According to Darchem, Bylor failed to make the payment by the 3 November deadline set by the adjudicator.
Three days later, Darchem filed legal action with the High Court and has been granted permission to apply for summary judgment.
A spokesperson for Darchem said: “We are disappointed that despite years of work at Hinkley Point C, Bouygues and Laing O’Rourke have refused to recognise the impact that design delays and other factors have had on Darchem.
“We have been left with no choice but to pursue court enforcement proceedings to recover what we are entitled. We remain committed to resolving this matter fairly and professionally.”
Bylor was approached for comment.
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Cristina Lago