Four of UK’s oldest nuclear plants to run for even longer as Hinkley Point delayed
Posted: 4th December 2024
EDF extends life of reactors to ‘boost energy security’ and bridge gap before new Somerset project starts up
Four of Britain’s oldest nuclear power plants will continue running for more than a decade longer than initially planned to help bridge a gap before the delayed Hinkley Point nuclear station starts up.
The owner of Britain’s nuclear plants, the French energy company EDF, said it had agreed to extend the lifetime of its reactors yet again to “boost energy security and reduce dependence on imported gas”.
The decision means that the Heysham 2 nuclear reactor in Lancashire and the Torness nuclear plant in East Lothian, Scotland, will keep producing low-carbon electricity for an additional two years to March 2030.
EDF to keep 4 UK nuclear power stations open longer than planned. Latest extensions to plants’ working lives could see some sites keep running into next decade. French state-owned energy giant EDF will keep four ageing nuclear power stations in Britain open for longer than planned, in a boost to the UK’s energy security. The company said two stations currently due to close in March 2026 — Hartlepool and Heysham 1 — will now remain online until March 2027, while Heysham 2 and Torness, that were scheduled to close in March 2028, will stay open until March 2030. The plants, three in northern England and one in southern Scotland, were built in the 1980s and were originally meant to close in 2023, but their working lives have already been extended once. The new dates represent the “most likely” view of how long the stations would stay open, the company added, though it cautioned there was “a risk” they could close sooner. It announced the move on Tuesday following a board meeting in Paris. Responding to EDF’s announcement, Fintan Slye, chief executive of NESO, said nuclear power “has an important role to play” in the electricity system. Ed Miliband, the secretary of state for energy, said the extensions were “a win for our energy independence”.
FT 4th Dec 2024
London South East 4th Dec 2024
Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, said: “These extensions are a major win for our energy independence – powering up to 11.6m homes for longer while supporting good jobs across Lancashire, Teesside and East Lothian. We can’t achieve clean power by 2030 without nuclear, which provides an all-important steady supply of homegrown clean energy.”
Guardian 4th Dec 2024
A spokesperson for the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) said: “As the independent nuclear regulator, we are conscious of the nation’s energy challenges and government aspirations to achieve net zero. “To this end, we will always endeavour to regulate in an enabling manner, working constructively with EDF on its lifetime extension ambitions, while ensuring it achieves the required standards of safety and security in the most practical way. “Although their plant life extension decisions do not need formal regulatory assessment or permissioning by ONR, it is a requirement of the site licence that operations be carried out under a valid safety case. “Several safety cases at each station are likely to require updating to achieve EDF’s stated ambitions, together with investment in plant to sustain equipment reliability, all while ensuring that the necessary people and skills are available. “The ongoing safety of operations at any nuclear site must be fully demonstrated to us as part of ongoing regulation which will be informed though our extensive inspection and assessment regime.”
ONR 4th Dec 2024
The lifespan of Scotland’s last remaining nuclear power station and three other plants in England are to be extended. EDF Energy says Torness, in East Lothian, and its sister site Heysham 2, in Lancashire, will continue generating for an extra two years until 2030. Two other sites – Hartlepool and Heysham 1 – will continue for an extra year until 2027. The French state-owned company says it will now invest £1.3bn across its operational nuclear estate over the next three years.
BBC 4th Dec 2024
The shutdown of Britain’s ageing nuclear power stations has been delayed amid fears that Labour’s net zero drive threatens to increase the risk of electricity price shocks and shortages. Four nuclear power stations owned by France’s EDF are to have their lives extended by up to two years, following safety assessments on the feasibility of keeping them open.
Telegraph 4th Dec 2024
Times 4th Dec 2024
Herald 4th Dec 2024