LONDON (Reuters) -EDF Energy said on Tuesday it will extend the life of its Heysham 1 and Hartlepool nuclear power plants in Britain for a further 12 months to March 2028.
The decision was taken following a series of positive graphite core inspections at both plants over the last nine months, EDF Energy said in a statement.
Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors (AGRs) are the predominant type of reactors used in Britain. However, their graphite cores can suffer from cracking and degradation when they age. Therefore, regular inspections have to be carried out on them.
The Heysham 1 and Hartlepool plants in northeast England, which have a combined capacity of 2.3 gigawatts and provide around 5% of Britain’s power supply, were originally due to end generation in 2024 but their lives have been extended three times.
Heysham 2 and Torness, which are both scheduled to generate until March 2030, were not in scope for this latest review after a two-year extension was granted last year.
(Reporting by Nina Chestney; Editing by Susan Fenton)
