EDF Energy is to keep four nuclear power reactors at the Heysham A and Hartlepool A nuclear power stations operating until 2026, two years longer than previously planned, because of the impact of war in Ukraine and energy price rises.
Both the stations, in the north of England, have been operating since the 1980s. EDF announced in September 2022 it was reviewing the case for a short extension.
The two stations were originally due to end generation in 2014. EDF Energy said it invested significant resources to enable the forecast to move to 2024. This has now been moved by a further two years to March 2026.
Heysham A and Hartlepool A both have two advanced gas-cooled reactor units. According to the Intrnational Atomic Energy Agency they all began full commercial operation in 1989, although the IAEA says they were first connected to the grid in either 1983 or 1984.
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