EDF considers extending life of two UK nuclear plants due to energy crisis

France’s EDF is considering extending the beingness of 2 British atomic powerfulness plants owed to the severity of the vigor crisis.

EDF said connected Wednesday that it would reappraisal whether determination was a lawsuit to support unfastened the Hartlepool atomic powerfulness works successful County Durham and Heysham 1 connected the north-west seashore of England adjacent Lancaster. Both plants had been scheduled to adjacent successful March 2024.

EDF operates each of Britain’s 8 atomic powerfulness plants, 5 of which are inactive providing powerfulness to the grid, astir 13% of the UK’s electricity. The full fleet is owed to unopen by 2028 isolated from Sizewell B, which closes successful 2035.

When EDF took implicit the atomic fleet successful 2009, Heysham 1 and Hartlepool were owed to tally until 2014. After method reviews, that was extended to 2019 and then, successful 2016, a further five-year hold was approved aft further reviews.

Sources said immoderate other lifespan for the stations was apt to beryllium acold shorter than erstwhile extensions. The stations – which nutrient 2.2 gigawatts of power, capable to powerfulness 3.5m homes – person been operational for 4 decades.

EDF said it had decided to motorboat the reappraisal “in airy of the severity of the vigor situation and the results of caller graphite inspections” and an hold would “depend connected the results of graphite inspections implicit the coming months”.

Russia’s penetration of Ukraine has sparked turmoil successful vigor markets and sent state and energy prices soaring. It has besides caused an planetary dash for state supplies, and raised concerns implicit imaginable blackouts this winter.

The authorities has moved to enactment up wintertime vigor supplies, signing deals to support coal-fired powerfulness stations successful Yorkshire and the eastbound Midlands connected standby including EDF’s West Burton A works successful Nottinghamshire.

Mike Clancy, wide caput of the Prospect union, said: “The authorities has had nary enactment but to support these plants connected longer term. It underlines that we request a semipermanent program for vigor generation. We’re a decennary precocious connected atomic and if we don’t determination accelerated capable we volition miss the vessel connected different fuels, similar hydrogen. The authorities needs to springiness radical the assurance to invest.”

Some powerfulness procreation companies including those connected nuclear, aged star and windfarm contracts person landed an unexpected windfall from the leap successful energy prices portion their costs person not risen, triggering calls for a windfall tax.

EDF said its atomic fleet would make 42terawatt hours of powerfulness successful 2022. It said that, due to the fact that it had sold its output successful advance, it had delivered astatine “well beneath existent wholesale prices”.

The Guardian revealed earlier this month that Centrica, which owns a 20% involvement successful the atomic fleet alongside EDF, wants to renegotiate its energy procreation contracts.

Tom Burke, co-founder of the greenish thinktank E3G, said: “In the existent clime it makes a batch of consciousness [to widen the plants’ lifespans]. The question is chiefly astir the cost: is the other clip you’re buying worthy the outgo of keeping it safe? The Office for Nuclear Regulation are not going to play accelerated and escaped with information truthful past it depends connected the spend. With energy prices wherever they are present it astir apt does marque sense.”

EDF said it plans to put £1bn successful the atomic fleet from 2023 to 2025. The debt-laden company, which is being afloat nationalised by the French government, is processing the delayed and over-budget Hinkley Point C task successful Somerset.

It besides down plans for a sister station, Sizewell C, successful Suffolk, which was fixed the greenish airy successful the last days of Boris Johnson’s premiership.

Tom Greatrex, the main enforcement of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: “Getting the astir retired of our existing atomic stations is captious to ensuring Britain has a unafraid proviso of powerfulness going forward.”

The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, connected Tuesday pledged to motorboat Great British Energy, a publically owned vigor institution tally connected cleanable UK power, if elected.