EDF has announced plans to further extend the lives of the four nuclear power stations, Torness, Heysham 2, Heysham 1 and Hartlepool, subject to inspections and regulatory approvals. A decision will be taken by the end of 2024.
The company said it would invest £1.3billion in the UK’s five generating nuclear power stations (the four AGRs and Sizewell B) over 2024-26.
UK nuclear output in 2023 was 37.3TWh, 15% lower than 2022 due to station closures and statutory outages. EDF said it plans to maintain output around this level until at least 2026.
Dr Mark Hartley, Managing Director of EDF’s Nuclear Operations business, said “EDF has built a strong track record of safely operating the UK’s existing nuclear fleet, delivering over 35% more clean power than initially forecast. Looking ahead, our aim is to maintain output from the four AGR stations for as long as possible and extend Sizewell B by a further 20 years, out to 2055. Maximising output also helps preserve the critical nuclear skills and capabilities that will be valuable for future nuclear projects.”
Following the scheduled end of generation at three stations across 2021-22, nuclear power generation in 2023 totalled 37.3 TWh and the objective is to keep it around this level until at least 2026. This medium-term forecast is 40% higher than estimated last year and is driven by the decision in March 2023 to extend generating lifetimes at Hartlepool and Heysham 1 power stations (combined 2.2GW capacity) by a further two years, to a current forecast of March 2026. Heysham 2 and Torness power stations (2.4GW) are currently due to generate until March 2028. These AGR lifetimes will be reviewed again by the end of 2024 and the ambition is to generate beyond these current forecasts, subject to plant inspections and regulatory approvals.
Sizewell B power station in Suffolk has so far generated over 250TWh in its 29 years of operation and has the potential to generate for at least a further 20 years beyond its current end of generation date of 2035. EDF is planning a final investment decision to be taken on this during 2025. It said “securing a sustainable commercial model is necessary to enable such a decision”.