EDF has opted to proceed producing energy at 4 nuclear vegetation, in a bid to spice up UK power safety and clear energy targets.
The French-owned power agency introduced the choice on 3 December, which is able to see extensions to the lifetimes of all 4 producing Superior Fuel Cooled Reactor stations.
Heysham 2 (Lancashire) and Torness (East Lothian) will hold producing the putative zero-carbon electrical energy for a further two years to March 2030 whereas Heysham 1 (Lancashire) and Hartlepool (Teesside) will produce energy till March 2027, an extension of 1 yr.
EDF mentioned the choice helps plans for the fast growth of renewables by serving to to take care of grid stability. It additionally helps restrict the UK’s dependence on imported gasoline, with an additional 45TWh of output displacing round 9.3bn cubic metres of gasoline over the prolonged lifetimes. That’s the equal of 62 LNG tankers, greater than 20% of final yr’s LNG imports.
Mark Hartley, Managing Director of EDF’s Nuclear Operations enterprise, mentioned: “In the present day’s resolution is testomony to EDF’s ongoing funding within the UK’s nuclear fleet and the exhausting work of the staff and suppliers supporting these websites.
“When EDF acquired these stations in 2009 they were all due to end generation by early 2023 which would have left the UK with just one generating nuclear station at Sizewell B. Careful stewardship and around £8bn of investment since 2009 has seen several life extensions for these stations and much higher output than was predicted.”
Secretary of State for Vitality and Internet Zero, Ed Miliband, mentioned: “EDF’s resolution to maintain 4 nuclear vegetation on-line is a robust endorsement of our clear energy mission.
“These extensions are a significant win for our power independence – powering thousands and thousands of houses for longer whereas supporting 3,000 good jobs throughout Lancashire, Teesside, and East Lothian. We are able to’t obtain clear energy by 2030 with out nuclear, which offers an all-important regular provide of homegrown clear power.
“This will come alongside our backing for new nuclear including supporting the completion of Hinkley Point C, confirming £2.7 billion for Sizewell C, and pressing on with contract negotiations for our small modular reactor competition.”
The choice, “taken after a rigorous review process over the past seven months”, follows the current publication of the Clean Power 2030 report by the power system operator, NESO, which outlined the significance of AGR life extension in reaching the UK Authorities’s clear energy objectives.
NESO Chief Govt, Fintan Slye, mentioned: “I welcome today’s announcement from EDF on their plant life extensions. NESO’s advice to the UK Government on delivering clean power by 2030, and our Future Energy Scenarios, show the important role that nuclear power will play in the electricity system to 2030 and out to 2050.”
EDF mentioned it’ll make investments an additional £1.3 billion within the 5 producing stations over the subsequent three years (2025-27) on high of the £8 billion already invested since 2009 to securely lengthen working lifetimes. To date, the nuclear fleet has generated over 240TWh extra electrical energy than anticipated again then, sufficient zero carbon electrical energy to energy each UK residence for 2 years.
This resolution can also be mentioned to assist the roles of greater than 3,000 workers and contractors working on the websites, in addition to tons of of corporations within the provide chain.
Conserving the present fleet working for longer will assist protect priceless abilities that might be crucial because the UK seeks to re-build its nuclear functionality.
Commenting on the choice, power analytics consultancy LCP Delta mentioned: “The Government has set itself highly ambitious plans for Clean Power by 2030 and it would have been impossible to meet this target had this decision not been taken. Whilst this is good news in the short term, this only further demonstrates the need to take decisions now to support technologies like carbon capture and storage, hydrogen power, long duration storage and new nuclear that are going to be critical to decarbonising the power sector”
