Staff praised as Hinkley closure date confirmed

EDF Energy has confirmed that the Hinkley Point B power station in Somerset will close early in 2022.

The site, which has been generating power to Britain for nearly 45 years is to move into the defuelling phase no later than July 15, 2022.

The site has around 500 full-time staff and 200 contractors, who are now all in doubt about their future.

Hinkley Point B was initially scheduled for shutdown in 2023, but cracks had been discovered in the graphite core of the reactor.

Matt Sykes, managing director of EDF Generation, said: “Our inspections of Hinkley’s reactor cores this year show that the graphite blocks are in exactly the sort of condition we predicted they would be at this stage in the station’s lifetime.

“As a responsible operator, we feel it is now the right thing to do to give clarity to our staff, partners and community about the future life of the station, which is why we have made this proactive decision.

“I would like to pay tribute to all those associated with Hinkley Point B for their outstanding professionalism.”

The Somerset located site was meant to stop generating more than 15 years ago but the estimated generating lifetime was extended multiple times until March 2023.

As a result of the announcement on the EDF website, the plant will stop generating before the extended date previously given.

Once Hinkley Point B stops generating power for good, EDF will take on defuelling the station, the first stage of the nuclear decommissioning process and one expected to take several years.

Peter Evans, station director of EDF’S Hinkley Point B power station said: “This station has delivered more low carbon energy during its lifetime than any other UK nuclear station. This is an outstanding achievement.”