EDF Energy, the French state-owned company, announced Tuesday that four of Britain’s declining fleet of nuclear plants will remain in operation for at least two more years. The operator said its goal was to stop seven years of falling output.
Three of the eight old power stations in the UK have closed since the beginning of the decade. But EDF which owns the nuclear fleet of the UK via a joint-venture with Centrica said that it planned to keep two of the power plants — Heysham 2 & Torness — operating beyond the planned closure date in 2028.
The company announced last year that it had similar plans to keep two other power plants using the same reactor design — Hartlepool 1 and Heysham 1, — open at least two more years after their scheduled closure date in 2024.
EDF stated that the decision made earlier should allow the company to maintain its nuclear power production at the levels of last year, which was 37.3 terawatt-hours until at least 2026. The company stated that its medium-term forecast was 40% higher than last year’s estimate. It also said it planned to invest £1.3bn in the five remaining nuclear plants over the next 3 years.
The company announced that a decision will be made by the end this year on the planned extension of Heysham 2 power station and Torness, which together have a generating capacity of about 2.4GW. This is subject to inspections of the plant and regulatory approvals.
In a press release, the Office for Nuclear Regulation stated: “Several safety case for the stations will likely require updating in order to achieve EDF’s stated ambitions. This includes investment in plant in order to maintain equipment reliability. All this while ensuring the necessary people and skill are on site.”
EDF has said that the Sizewell B power plant, which is more modern and uses a different design of reactor than the older four plants, will remain in operation until 2035. However, its life expectancy could be extended by another 20 years.
It would be a welcome prospect to maintain higher nuclear generation capacities in the UK as the UK and other European countries seek to reduce the impact on the continent of its reliance on Russian gas in the wake the full-scale invasion in Ukraine early in 2022.
Mark Hartley said that the extension of the life of nuclear plants will “also help preserve the critical skills and capabilities which will be useful for future nuclear projects”.
A new nuclear power plant, the 3.2GW Hinkley Point C in Somerset, has begun construction, but has been affected by delays, and cost overruns. The plant is not expected to generate electricity until 2027. However, this date could be further delayed. EDF also hopes to build a new plant in Suffolk next to Sizewell B.
Cracks in the graphite cores of other nuclear power plants with the same design have forced them to shut down earlier than expected. EDF stated in 2022 that both the graphite cores at Hartlepool 1 and Heysham 1 were intact. Regular inspections continue since then.
Nuclear power, unlike solar and wind, is not affected by weather conditions and does not emit significant amounts of emissions.
In the UK, nuclear power produced more than 60TWh in energy a decade ago. In the last 12 months, domestic nuclear power generated about 15% of UK electricity. Wind and natural gas accounted for 30%.