Heysham 1 and Hartlepool NPPs in the UK will continue operating until March 2030 following a review by EDF Energy. As well as supporting more than 1000 jobs across the two sites, extending the generating lives of these plants could boost nuclear output by 28 TWh over the two-year period.
Construction of Heysham 1 in Lancashire began in 1970, with the first reactor starting up in 1983 and the second in 1984 for full commercial operation in 1989. The two advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGRs) have a total capacity of 1,150 MWe. Construction of the 1,185 MWe Hartlepool NPP in Durham, also with two AGRs, began in 1969 with commercial operation achieved in 1985. The two plants were scheduled to close in 2028.
EDF’s Managing Director of Nuclear Operations, John Munro, said: “We have been clear it is our ambition to generate from these stations for as long as it is safe and commercially viable to do so it is great to be able to confirm a further two-year extension for Heysham 1 and Hartlepool.”
He added: “The AGR stations have been the backbone of secure, zero carbon generation in the UK for five decades. The nuclear fleet also has a key role in maintaining grid stability, which is so important as the overall system becomes led by renewables. Today’s decision retains stable baseload, domestic generation, reducing reliance on imports during tighter periods.”
When EDF acquired the fleet in 2009 all seven AGR stations were scheduled to be offline by 2023, but a series of life extensions enabled four of those stations to continue operating with three now in various stages of defueling or decommissioning. The four still operating are Hartlepool, Heysham 1, Heysham 2, and Torness, while the three being decommissioned are Hunterston B, Hinkley Point B, and Dungeness B.
“When nuclear goes offline it is often replaced with gas generation, said Munro. “If we are serious about reducing the UK’s reliance on gas and retaining system stability, it makes sense to keep these stations online to support energy security and our carbon targets.”
Keeping Heysham 1 and Hartlepool online will retain around 12% of the UK’s nuclear generation in the mix and the volume of gas they could avoid in each year of the extension is equal to 25 liquid natural gas (LNG) cargoes or 20% of the LNG imports in 2025.
Decisions on end of generation dates for EDF’s nuclear power stations in the UK are independent of the regulators or government and are taken by EDF’s licensee board following recommendations from EDF Nuclear Generation Limited’s Executive. These extension dates are forecasts, and the precise dates will be determined by the results of regular graphite inspections and how those results are interpreted within EDF and by Office for Nuclear Regulation. The decision was taken following a detailed review covering technical aspects like the condition of the boilers and the graphite cores as well as supply chain resilience and workforce planning.
