nuclear-news

Sizewell B nuclear power plant granted a 20-year life extension

Britain’s most recently completed nuclear power plant will continue
generating electricity until 2055 after the government granted the power
plant, which was first synchronised with the National Grid in 1995, a
20-year life extension. Sizewell B in Suffolk was due to shut down within
the next decade, but under a deal with the government its lifetime will be
extended to 60 years to help meet the UK’s growing demand for low-carbon
electricity.

Under the deal, EDF will receive £70.50 for every
megawatt-hour Sizewell B generates, starting from 2035, when it was
originally due to close. The extra investment needed to maintain the plant
will come from Centrica, which owns a 20% share in EDF’s reactors in the
UK. Sizewell B is the latest nuclear reactor to strike a deal with the
government to continue running, following the decision to extend the life
of four nuclear plants built across the country in the 1980s. The Heysham 2
nuclear reactor in Lancashire and the Torness nuclear plant in East
Lothian, Scotland, were originally expected to shut in 2018 but will keep
producing low-carbon electricity to March 2030. Meanwhile, the Heysham 1
plant and the Hartlepool nuclear plant in Teesside, which were initially
expected to close in 2008, will run until March 2028.

Guardian 8th July 2026,
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/08/sizewell-b-nuclear-power-plant-granted-a-20-year-life-extension

July 13, 2026 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, UK