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Hartlepool power station

Hartlepool is a nuclear power station on the north east coast of England. It is capable of supplying electricity to over 2 million UK homes.

Since 1983 Hartlepool has generated over 258 TWh of zero carbon electricity

House icon with power symbol

Enough to power every home in the Tees Valley for 204 years

CO2 cloud icon

Avoiding 90m tonnes of CO2 emissions*

Like taking 43m cars off UK roads for a year

*when compared to direct emissions of combined cycle gas turbines | all figures rounded to the nearest hundred thousand

Hartlepool Power Station turns 40

Hartlepool power station first connected to the grid on 1 August 1983. Since then, it has produced enough power to meet the needs of every home in the North East for 55 years and saved the UK millions of tonnes of CO2 emissions.

We’re incredibly proud that the power station has been a key part of life in Hartlepool for decades and we look forward to what the future will bring for our colleagues and the community.

About Hartlepool

  • Station Director: Mark Lees
  • Reactor type: 2 Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors
  • Total supply to the national grid: 1185 MW
  • Coolant: Carbon dioxide gas (CO2)
  • Start of construction: 1968
  • Start of generation: 1983
  • Estimated end of generation: March 2024
  • People: Approximately 530 full time EDF employees plus over 200 full time contract partners
  • Daily plant status - find out which reactors at our eight nuclear power stations are in service and what they are generating (data updated on weekdays)

News from Hartlepool

January 31, 2024

Hartlepool needs you!

Hartlepool Power Station is on the lookout for recruits for the team of tomorrow.
Nuclear engineers at Heysham power station
January 09, 2024

Investment boost to maintain UK nuclear output at current levels until at least 2026

EDF plans to invest a further £1.3billion in the UK’s five generating nuclear power stations over 2024-26, taking the total invested in the fleet to nearly £9billion since 2009.

Hartlepool Heat Hub

Hartlepool has been home to two nuclear reactors since 1983

Over the years, the town has been earmarked as a great place for more nuclear development. In spring 2022, the Government’s energy strategy identified Hartlepool as one of the prime places in the country for new nuclear. That is no great surprise. There is significant nuclear licensed land available for development around Hartlepool Power Station, the local community is supportive and there is an existing highly skilled nuclear workforce, with decades of experience, on the doorstep.

All of this is why EDF, together our partner Atkins, are jointly pushing for Hartlepool to host an Advanced Modular nuclear Reactor (AMR). These next generation reactors use helium rather than CO2 or water in order to reach temperatures >700oC to generate high grade steam and heat. But instead of those outputs focused only driving turbines and generating electricity, the heat and steam could be piped to Teesside industries which need these ingredients to power their industrial processes. This activity could help decarbonise Teesside industries and help protect jobs as the nation pushes towards net zero.

 

Visit Hartlepool power station

Hartlepool visitor centre also houses The Partnership for Nature where EDF supports Natural England, Hartlepool Countryside Wardens and the Teesmouth Field Centre.

Hartlepool power station is a member of the Partnership for Nature. The borough of Hartlepool is fortunate to have habitats of international importance, a major resource for the area’s urban population; all of which you can find more about within this visitor centre. 

The objectives of the partnership are:

  • Conservation: to protect the countryside and enhance valuable wildlife habitats
  • Recreation: to encourage people to use, enjoy and appreciate the area
  • Education: to promote opportunities for learning about the local environment. A key aim of the partners is to involve the local community in its activities

Tour Information

Tour time: approx 2 hours.

Minimum age: minimum age for the station tour is 7 years old.

Bookings must be made at least 3 weeks in advance.

You will be accompanied by a trained station guide and will include the cooling water intake, turbine hall, and control room simulator (subject to availability). All site tours include a safety and security briefing and the issue of relevant PPE (personal protective equipment).

If you have any questions about the visitor centre, or about taking a tour, please check our FAQs.

Opening hours and events

The centre is open on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 0900 – 1600 hours, for prearranged station tours.

Alternative tour days, with the exception of weekends and bank holidays, can be accommodated by prior agreement.

Contact us:

Telephone: 01429 853582
Address: Hartlepool power station, Tees Road, Hartlepool. TS25 2BZ
Email: hartlepoolsitetours@edf-energy.com

Dates for your diary:​

6 December 2022 - Hartlepool Power Station Local Community Liaison Council

Hartlepool power station portrait
Caption
Hartlepool power station portrait

Contact Hartlepool

Address:
EDF Hartlepool power station
Tees Road
Hartlepool TS25 2BZ

Media and community requests:
media@edfenergy.com
01452 652233

Reception:
+44 (0)1429 853535

Community

EDF hold regular meetings (Local Community Liaison Council or LCLC) with local people, the media, council and emergency services representatives and local politicians to maintain regular communications about the nuclear site. 

Safety and reporting

Our number one priority is safety. Find out about our ​​​​​​​commitment to Zero Harm.

How we generate our power

As Britain's biggest generator of zero carbon electricity(1) we generate power from wind + nuclear + solar.

Nuclear engineer on site at nuclear power station using tablet

Careers at EDF

Interested in working at EDF? Find out about our graduate programmes, apprenticeships, internships and current vacancies.