Commercial operation at Somerset site ended in August 2022
The UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has granted formal consent to EDF Energy’s project to decommission Hinkley Point B nuclear power station in Somerset, southwest England.
The decision comes after a public consultation and a detailed assessment by ONR specialist inspectors of EDF’s environmental statement and habitats regulations assessment.
The environmental statement included a detailed environmental impact assessment for the proposed decommissioning project at the site, along with mitigation measures designed to prevent or reduce any significant adverse environmental impacts.
ONR said it is satisfied that the environmental statement proposes adequate mitigation measures to address the adverse environmental impacts of the decommissioning project and considers the statement to be “complete, of the right quality, and in line with relevant good practice”.
In August 2022, Hinkley Point B reached the end of its operating life after nearly 46 years of generating electricity and moved into its defuelling phase.
The facility has two units, Hinkley Point B-1 and B-2, both advanced gas-cooled reactor units that began commercial operation in 1978 and 1976 respectively.
Both reactors have been defuelled in advance of the site moving into its decommissioning phase.
The nuclear site will later transfer from EDF to Nuclear Restoration Services (NR), a subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. NRS will decommission the site, which will involve dismantling and demolishing the plant and buildings as well site clearance and restoration.
NRS is responsible for decommissioning 13 sites across the country, including the first generation of nuclear and research sites.
