Nuclear plant's decommissioning could take 95 years

Residents are being asked for their views on how a former nuclear power station should be safely decommissioned.

The Hinkley Point B facility, which lies on the Somerset coast north of Stogursey, ceased operations in August 2022, after cracks developed in the plant's graphite cores, creating potential safety concerns.

EDF Energy, which owns the facility, has applied to the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) for formal permission to decommission the site, which could take about 95 years.

Somerset residents now have three months to voice their views.

Under the proposals, Hinkley Point B, which opened in 1976, could be decommissioned in three phases.

The first phase, which will last until 2038, includes the dismantling of all buildings and plant materials except for the site’s safestore structure. This facility will be used to store and manage the residential nuclear waste from the power station.

The second phase will see “a period of relative inactivity” of up to 70 years from 2039, to allow for the radioactive materials within the safestore to safely decay, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

While physical activity within the site will be minimal during this phase, the former power station will remain under close surveillance with “periodic maintenance interventions” to prevent any risk to health or national security.

The third and final phase will see the former reactor and debris vaults being dismantled and removed and any final landscaping work being completed – with EDF estimating that this will be finished by 2118.

The consultation is running until 9 December, with the ONR expected to publish its formal response in early 2025.

EDF is currently building Hinkley Point C, which has a target completion date of June 2027.

Costing about £46bn, it is expected to generate enough electricity to supply some six million homes for the next 60 years.

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