Proactive Investors - EDF (EPA:EDF) Energy has announced plans to extend the lives of four nuclear reactors in the UK once again in a bid to maintain output from the sector at current levels until 2026.
Heysham 1 and Hartlepool could see their service lives stretched beyond 2026, with Heysham 2 and Torness operating past shutdown dates in 2028, under plans by EDF to invest a further £1.3 billion in the UK’s nuclear capacity.
“These advanced gas-cooled reactors' lifetimes will be reviewed again by the end of 2024 and the ambition is to generate beyond these current forecasts,” the firm said on Tuesday.
Suffolk’s Sizewell B holds potential to generate for “at least” 20 years beyond its planned closing date of 2035, EDF added, with a final decision expected next year.
EDF operates all eight of the UK’s nuclear power stations, with British Gas-owner Centrica PLC (LON:CNA) holding a 20% stake in the portfolio of plants.
Five of the eight are still in operation producing power, while the remaining three are in the process of being de-fuelled.
A decision to extend operations at Hartlepool and Heysham 1 was already made by EDF last year.
“Subject to plant inspections and regulatory approvals”, extending the life cycles of the sites could hold the UK’s nuclear output at 37.3 terawatt hours a year until 2026, EDF explained.
The extra 212TWh of power generated by keeping the plants open so far is the equivalent needed to run all of the UK’s homes continuously for two years, the firm added.
“Maximising output also helps preserve the critical nuclear skills and capabilities that will be valuable for future nuclear projects,” managing director Mark Hartley said.
This includes new sites at Hinkley Point and Sizewell, with the former currently under construction, but could stretch to the proposed rollout of small modular reactors in the coming decades.