Life of Hinkley Point power station near Burnham extended by five years

Published: December 11, 2007
Life of Hinkley Point power station near Burnham extended by five years

British Energy announced on Tuesday (December 11th) that it has extended the lifetime of its Hinkley Point B nuclear power station, near Burnham, by five years.

The company announced it has completed the necessary "technical and economic evaluation" that will see the controversial power plant continue operating until at least 2016.

Station Director Nigel Cann (pictured) said: "This is great news for all of us at Hinkley Point B and for everyone in the local Somerset community. The decision means we can continue to provide highly skilled jobs and bring major investment to the area."

"It also shows that British Energy recognises the professionalism and commitment of our staff in safely supplying low carbon electricity for more than 30 years."

The station employs around 535 full time staff, as well as 150 full time staff from contract partners and brings in an estimated £30m a year to the local economy.

Hinkley Point B has produced some 215 Terrawatt hours (TWh) of generation since first supplying the National Grid in 1976.

During its working life so far the station has saved around 140 million tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. To get the same annual carbon avoided benefit would require the entire population of Bristol to reduce their carbon emissions to zero.

Trades union representative Tom Armstrong said staff are delighted. "This life extension is a major bonus for the station. It's the result of a tremendous amount of hard work by everyone involved, both on and off site, to secure a further 5 years of safe, reliable generation - an achievement of which we are all very proud."