EDF has announced it will stop generating power at its Hinkley Point B nuclear plant in Somerset and begin decommissioning the facility by 15 July 2022 – eight months earlier than was previously expected.
The company attributed the advanced closure to deterioration in the graphite blocks that make up the cores of its two advanced gas-cooled reactors, which have a combined generation capacity of 965MW.
Since being commissioned in 1976, the power plant has generated more than 300TWh of electricity – enough to meet the needs of every home in Britain for around three years. At the time of its acquisition by EDF in 2009, the power station was due to close in 2016.
However, in 2012 the plant received a seven-year life extension to March 2023, plus or minus two years. Despite its closure falling towards the earlier end of the range, EDF said the facility will still end up running for more than 15 years longer than was originally planned back in the 1960s.
The plant was taken offline in June to undertake inspections of the graphite cores and conduct maintenance. Subject to approval from the Office of Nuclear Regulation, EDF plans to resume generation at Hinkley Point B for a six-month period beginning in early 2021 before conducting further inspections and returning the reactors to service again for a final run.
The company said the plant could potentially generate another 8TWh of electricity before defueling starts – a procedure that is expected to last several years.
Peter Evans, station director for Hinkley Point B, said: “This station has delivered more low-carbon energy during its lifetime than any other UK nuclear station. This is an outstanding achievement and a testament to the dedication of all those who have worked here over the decades.
“When work started on this generation of nuclear reactors in the 1960s, few could have anticipated how important it has become to generate our power with little or no emissions. Over its life, this station has helped the UK avoid millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere and provided rewarding jobs for thousands of people and supply chain partners across Britain.
“Although there is much change to come, this is a moment to be proud of what we have achieved.”
The announcement follows EDF’s decision in August to bring forward the closure of its sister station – Hunterston B in North Ayrshire – by more than a year to January 2022 after fresh cracks were discovered in its graphite cores.
“Running a nuclear power plant this efficiently for over 40 years leads to changes in the reactors,” said Matt Sykes, managing director of EDF Generation. “Our inspections of Hinkley’s reactor cores this year show that the graphite blocks are in exactly the sort of condition we predicted they would be at this stage in the station’s lifetime.
“As a responsible operator we feel it is now the right thing to do to give clarity to our staff, partners and community about the future life of the station, which is why we have made this proactive decision. I would like to pay tribute to all those associated with Hinkley Point B for their outstanding professionalism and wish them well with the next chapter.”
EDF said it is currently in discussion with the 500 full time staff and 200 contractors currently working at the site about their futures. It said some will choose to retire over the next couple years but it is also looking at how others could be redeployed within the company or helped to move to another job or training.
Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, commented: “Today’s news is a reminder of the urgency of investing in new nuclear capacity to hit net zero. Hinkley Point B has produced more clean electricity and saved more emissions – 105 million tonnes – than any other single power station in British history. It can only be replaced by new nuclear stations that produce the same reliable, always-on, emissions-free power that Hinkley has provided for more than forty years.
“The nuclear projects already in the pipeline can deliver this backbone of clean power and will generate tens of thousands of secure, skilled and well-paid jobs across the country. We hope that the government will support its announcements on large and small-scale reactors this week by setting out a clear path to progress new nuclear capacity in the forthcoming energy white paper.”
The Prospect union’s senior deputy general secretary Sue Ferns echoed Greatrex’s view, adding: “The prime minister’s announcement this week made it clear that there is no path to net zero without a substantial role for nuclear power, both large power stations and innovative small modular reactors.
“The onus is now on government to give the green light to the Sizewell C project and take a vital step in securing the UK’s low carbon future along with thousands of good jobs across the country.”