Hinkley Point B power station ceases generation

EDF Energy announced that Hinkley Point B’s second reactor has been permanently shut down, bringing an end to electricity generation at the Hinkley Point B plant in Somerset, England, after 46 years of operation.

Permission to use photo given by Pete Vaiders, EDFE HPB employee

Over the coming weeks and months, teams at Hinkley Point B will undertake major maintenance and improvement projects across the plant to get it ready for the next stage of its life, defueling. This process, expected to last around three to four years, involves removing the remaining nuclear fuel from the reactors and transporting it to Sellafield for storage. Once that work is complete EDF will hand over the station to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority for the next step of its life, decommissioning.

Defueling and decommissioning work will be funded by Nuclear Liabilities Fund.