Finance
EDF Energy extends life of two UK nuclear plants
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on September 2, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on September 2, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
EDF Energy extends Heysham 1 and Hartlepool nuclear plants' operations to March 2028 following positive inspections.
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)
A nuclear power plant is a facility that uses nuclear reactions to generate electricity. It typically uses uranium as fuel, which undergoes fission to produce heat, which is then used to create steam that drives turbines.
Graphite core inspection is a process used to assess the condition of the graphite moderator in nuclear reactors. It helps identify any cracking or degradation that may affect the reactor's safety and performance.
Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors (AGRs) are a type of nuclear reactor that uses carbon dioxide as a coolant and graphite as a moderator. They are commonly used in the UK for electricity generation.
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