Company plans to invest £1 billion in fleet Hartlepool houses two advanced gas-cooled reactor unit. It is sited in County Durham, Northeast England. Image courtesy Creative Commons. Power utility EDF Energy is planning to review the case to extend generation at its Hartlepool and Heysham A nuclear power stations in northern England beyond the current estimated end date of March 2024, with an ambition to generate longer if possible.

The company said on Wednesday (28 September) that over the 2023-25 period, it plans to invest £1bn (€1.1bn, $1.07bn) in the UK nuclear fleet to sustain output and help maintain security of supply.

Hartlepool has two advanced gas-cooled reactor units (AGRs) that have been in commercial operation since 1989. Heysham A has two AGRs that also began operation in 1989. According to International Atomic Energy Agency data, the net capacity of all four units combined in 2,245 MW.

EDF Energy parent company EDF said that over the long term it is committed to playing its part in the government’s commitment to expand UK nuclear capacity from about 5.8 GW today up to 24 GW by 2050. The French state-controlled company has major interests in four of the eight designated sites for nuclear development: Hinkley Point, Sizewell, Hartlepool and Heysham.

The London-based Nuclear Industry Association welcomed EDF’s plan to extend the life of Hartlepool and Heysham. Chief executive Tom Greatrex said extensions would provide a critical, immediate boost to UK energy security in the short term, cutting gas use and cutting bills.

Nuclear Is ‘Backbone Of Stable Output’

He said: “The nuclear fleet provides excellent value to consumers as a secure, sustainable and affordable source of power on the grid and a backbone of stable output. The strong performance of the current fleet shows the benefit of having a series of stations working in tandem alongside renewables.

“For the long term, it is now important that the government’s vision of 24 GW of nuclear by 2050 is realised and we can start building up our energy resilience.”

In August the Hinkley Point B-1 nuclear power plant in southwest England was permanently shut down, leaving the UK with only nine reactors in commercial operation – putting more pressure on the UK’s electricity supplies ahead of the coldest months of the year.

In recent years the UK has generated about 15% of its power from its fleet of commercial nuclear power plants, but most are being retired this decade, with the last one – Sizewell B – due to close in 2035.

Since 2000, the UK has seen permanent reactor shutdowns at Hinkley Point A, Bradwell, Calder Hall, Hunterston, Oldbury, Sizewell, Chapelcross, Dungeness and Wylfa.

The only remaining operating plants are at Hartlepool, Heysham, Sizewell B and Torness.