Heysham 1 is a nuclear power station on the north west coast of England near Lancaster. Heysham is the only site in the UK to have two operating nuclear power stations.
In 2020 Heysham 1 generated low carbon electricity for 1.6 million homes
Avoiding 2.1m tonnes of CO2 emissions*
Like taking 1m 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
About Heysham 1
- Station Director:Martin Cheetham
- Reactor type: 2 Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors
- Total supply to the national grid: 1155 MW
- Coolant: Carbon dioxide gas (CO2)
- Start of construction: 1970
- 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)
- EDF also operates another nuclear power station in Heysham. Find out more about Heysham 2
Visit Heysham 1 power station
Due to Coronavirus all site tours have been suspended and our exhibition centre remains closed, we are also unfortunately unable to take any forward bookings at this time. We will update our website with further information when the situation changes.
Our Heysham site is unique to the business, as it is our only location to have two operating nuclear power stations. Our visitor centre supports both sites – with tours taking place on Heysham 2.
The visitor centre, which opened in July 2013, has an interactive exhibition to help visitors understand more about nuclear power generation and allow people to ask questions to our trained guides. We have a fantastic classroom facility and you can pre book a tour of the power station too.
Tour Information
Tour time: Approx 2 hours.
Minimum age: Minimum age for the station tour is 8 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 reactor viewing gallery, the turbine hall and the control room viewing gallery (subject to availability). All site tours include a safety and security briefing and the issue of relevant PPE (personal protective equipment).
Opening hours and events
Monday to Thursday: 10:00 - 16:00
Friday: 10:00 - 14:30
Saturday: Pre-booked tours by appointment only.
Sunday and bank holidays: Closed
Dates for your diary:
We will update our events calendar as soon as our Visitor Centre has reopened.
Frequently asked questions
If you have any questions about the visitor centre, or about taking a tour, please check our FAQs.
Contact the visitor centre on:
Telephone: 01524 868451
Address: Heysham 2 power station, Morecambe, Lancashire. LA3 2XH
Email: heyshamvisitorcentre@edf-energy.com
Find out more about Heysham 1
Safety and reporting
EDF is one of the UK’s largest energy companies and its largest producer of low-carbon electricity.
Because nuclear safety is our overriding priority, we have produced a summary of our nuclear safety and waste policies and management systems.
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. Members of the public are invited to observe the meeting and questions will be taken at the end of session.
Contact us
- Address:
EDF Heysham power station
Morecambe
Lancashire LA3 2XH
Reception:
+44 (0)1524 853131 - Media and community requests:
Martyn Butlin
+44 (0)1524 863565
Latest news and community updates
Find out more about EDF
Jobs at EDF
Interested in working at EDF? Find out about our graduate programmes, apprenticeships, internships and current vacancies.
Our sustainability roadmap
We’re a responsible business and proud to be Britain's biggest generator of zero carbon electricity(1). But with size, age and experience, we believe we can do even more.
How we generate our power
As Britain's biggest generator of zero carbon electricity(1) we generate power from wind + nuclear + solar.