Hinkley Point B Nuclear Power Station

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Active reactors ( gross ):

Decommissioned Reactors ( gross ):

The nuclear power station Hinkley Point is located near Bridgwater, Somerset, on the southwest coast of England. It consists of the two parts of the plant Hinkley Point A and Hinkley Point B. Two more reactors are planned under the name Hinkley Point C.

It has two nuclear reactors in operation ( Hinkley Point B1 and B2 ) and two already decommissioned reactors ( Hinkley Point A1 and A2). The two operating reactors have a net electrical output of 840 MWe together and provide electricity to over a million households. In March 2013, the extension of Hinkley Point to two other reactors ( Hinkley Point C1 and C2) has been approved with a total of 3260 MW. Finally in 2014 to decide on the construction.

Hinkley Point A

The two reactors of the plant Hinkley Point A is Magnox reactors. They have a net capacity of 235 MWe and a gross capacity of 267 MWe.

Construction work on both blocks was on November 1, 1957. On February 16, 1965 Hinkley Point -A1 was first synchronized with the power grid, on 19 March 1965 he Hinkley Point -A2. On March 30, 1965, Block A1 first time commercial operation on May 5, 1965, the commissioning of block A2.

During the construction phase in 1961, a construction worker urinated against one of the pipes. This had the consequence that the corresponding lines through which flowed the radioactive waste during the operational phase, began to rust and that is why in 1986 the plant had to be shut down for ten days in order to renew the lines for the equivalent back then about 4.5 million DM.

On 23 May 2000, the entire system Hinkley Point A was decommissioned. During operation, more than 103 TWh of electricity were produced in the plant.

The plant is located on a 19.4 acre site. From 1965 to 1989, the plant of the Central Electricity Generating Board ( CEGB ) belonged. From 1989 to 1994 she was owned by the Nuclear Electric plc. From 1994 to 1998 included the reactors of the Magnox Electric plc from 1998 to 2004, the British Nuclear Fuels plc. Since 2004, the plant belongs in the wake of the closure of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

The reactor pressure vessel were the greatest of all British Magnox reactors. After the cut-off 71 828 fuel assemblies had to be taken to Sellafield.

Hinkley Point B

The two reactors of the plant Hinkley Point B AGR. Both have a gross capacity of 655 MWe. Block B1 has a net output of 410 MW, Block B2, a net capacity of 430 MW.

Construction work on both blocks was on September 1, 1967. On February 5, 1976 Hinkley Point -B2 was first synchronized with the power grid, on 30 October 1976, block B1. On September 27, 1976 block B2 went into commercial operation, on October 2, followed by block B1. The two reactors need 40 to 45 cubic meters of water per hour. The shutdown of the two blocks is provided According to the operator in 2016, according to a report from the BBC decommissioning is however not required until 2023

2003, a worker fell from 25 meter high scaffolds in the turbine hall, his pelvis splintered. He had to wait 20 minutes until he was taken to hospital in Taunton. Then came 350 workers from the temporarily closed reactor on strike, blocked the entrance to the power station and demanded better ambulance services in the system.

In October 2006, the Hinkley Point reactors B1 and B2 and the Hunterston reactors B1 and B2 were temporarily shut down in order to verify the formation of cracks within the reactors. So until then for 2011 envisaged shutdown was postponed to 2017. In May 2007, the reactors went online again. British Energy was expected to have to spend 90 million pounds for the lifetime extension. It is also talking to extend the term until after 2017. The unplanned outages at Hinkley Point B and Hunterston B resulted in a loss of 9.4 billion kWh and were the main reason for a lower nuclear power production for the fiscal year 2006-2007.

Hinkley Point C

In planning are currently two more reactors of Areva EPR. In March 2013, the Electricité de France (EDF) has been granted approval for the construction of a new power plant. As the construction due to the high investment cost of the equivalent of 19 billion euros is not economically viable, EdF had demanded as a condition for a building government subsidies in the form of a guaranteed power purchase price that was negotiated to by October 2013 with the government. According to the BBC a guaranteed minimum price below 90 lbs / MWh would cause the nuclear plant loss writes.

On October 21, 2013 EdF announced his French- Chinese consortium have with the British government in an " accord de principe " (such as: basic agreement ) contract for 16 billion pounds sterling ( GBP, at which time approximately 19 billion Euros ) to have two pressurized water reactors with a common gross output of 3260 MW ( net capacity build 3200 MW). The last nuclear reactor in Britain was put into operation in 1995. The consortium alongside the French EdF with 40-50 % and the power plant builder Areva with 10%, the Chinese companies CGN ( Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Corporation ) and CNNC (China National Nuclear Corporation) together with a share of 30% - 40%. , an investment of state funds from Kuwait bw. Qatar was discussed.

In order to make the project profitable for the consortium, the British government said it for 35 years from commissioning a guaranteed feed in tariff of 92.5 lbs / MWh plus an annual inflation adjustment based on price 2012 (currently 112 Euro / MWh). This is indexing twice the average British electricity prices in 2013 and is well above the 2013 valid EEG feed-in tariff for large PV or onshore wind turbines in Germany, which is, however, paid only 20 years. In addition, a government loan guarantee in the amount of 10 billion pound ( 11.8 billion euros ) granted in order to reduce the cost of financing. The nuclear reactors to go online in 2023 and is expected to run for 60 years. If the power plants have to be curbed or even switched off due to market circumstances, the operator for the loss of income loss due to the government are financially compensated.

The construction is uncertain, as the government guarantees a high promotion in the form of guaranteed feed-in tariff equivalent of approximately 109 euros / MWh plus inflation. Such a subsidy must be approved by the European Union. In December 2013 reported the British newspaper The Guardian that EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia in this regard would launch an investigation. In addition to the general review of whether it is an illegal subsidy on negotiated promotion, should be checked whether the funding conditions were proportionate and alternative.

Pictures

The following pictures show a transport of radioactive waste from the nuclear power station Hinkley Point to Sellafield.

Data of the reactor units

The Hinkley Point nuclear power plant has a total of four blocks: