Nuclear power station to shut early after cracks found in core

A NUCLEAR power station is to be decommissioned early after 350 cracks were discovered in the core of one of its reactors.

Hunterston B power station in North Ayrshire announced yesterday that the plant would move into the defuelling phase no later than Jan 7 2022.

The date is two years earlier than previously planned and comes after a series of safety issues were discovered at the site.

Hunterston has been offline since 2018 after inspectors discovered 350 microscopic cracks in one of the reactor’s graphite cores.

EDF Energy, who run the site, had hoped to keep generating electricity from the 44-year-old nuclear plant on the Firth of Clyde until 2023, after putting more than £200million into repairing the reactor.

But industry sources told The Guardian that EDF Energy decided at a board meeting yesterday afternoon that the plant would now stop generating electricity in late 2021.

After a two-year investigation, the Office for Nuclear Regulation said that Reactor 3 at Hunterston would be allowed to restart, but it would only be allowed to generate electricity for approximately six months. EDF then plans to apply next spring to extend its life for one final six-month run.

Matt Sykes, EDF managing director, said: “Hunterston B has quietly delivered a major contribution to the UK for more than 40 years. It has far exceeded its original remit and, over its lifetime, gone on to safely produce enough low carbon energy to power the whole of Scotland for eight years.

“Our focus is on continuing to safely deliver the last period of power generation and then transition the station into decommissioning.”

A spokesman said the move would give staff clarity and added there would be no immediate job losses because of the phase to defuelling.

There are approximately 520 fulltime EDF Energy employees at Hunterston B, along with more than 250 full-time contract partners.