Hinkley Point B

About Hinkley Point B

Hinkley Point B is a nuclear power station near Bridgwater in Somerset. The station was the first Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor to generate electricity to the grid in the UK.

Station Director: Peter Evans
Reactor type: 2 Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors
Total supply to the national grid: 955 MW
Coolant: Carbon dioxide gas (CO2)
Start of construction: 1967
Start of generation: 1976
Estimated decommissioning date: 2023
People: Approximately 535 full time EDF Energy employees, plus over 220 full time contract partners

Power station - Hinkley Point B

Hinkley Point B is a nuclear power station near Bridgwater in Somerset. The station was the first Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor to generate electricity to the grid in the UK.

Daily status

Reactor 3

Turbine Generator 7

In service

480MW

Status

Nominal full load

Next statutory outage

Mar-2019

Shutdown category

Non planned

Reactor 4

Turbine Generator 8

In service

478MW

Status

Nominal full load

Next statutory outage

Apr-2018

Notes

Nominal full load refers to the nominal maximum generation in megawatts from a reactor. The output from a reactor can fluctuate even when at full load for many reasons (e.g. plant conditions, sea water temperatures, operating limits/constraints etc). Where the output of a reactor is reduced by approximately 10% or more of its maximum, the reason for this will be shown. Generation figures are net of any imports into the station and may be negative when a unit is not generating.

Return to service dates are provided to the same accuracy as provided to National Grid under the requirements of the Grid Code and refer to the first full day of operation. Where a return to service date falls within approximately two weeks of the date of this report, the exact date will be shown. Where a return to service date is expected to fall more than two weeks into the future, the week commencing in which a reactor is due to return to service will be indicated (shown as “w/c”).

Additional information on the availability of our nuclear power stations can be found on our REMIT page.

Community

EDF Energy and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority hold regular joint meetings with local people, the media, council and emergency service representatives and local politicians, to maintain regular communications about the nuclear site. This meeting is independently chaired.

The next Site Stakeholder Group meeting will be held on Friday 28 October 2016 (10.00 - 13.00). Venue TBC.

Read our latest community report (PDF)

Report on Radioactive Discharges and Environmental Monitoring

Visit us

Drop into our visitor centre or book a station tour to see for yourself how we generate electricity in a nuclear power station.

Our visitor centre has an interactive exhibition where you can find out more about nuclear power generation. We also offer pre-booked tours of the power station and it's all free of charge

Find out more about tours

Contact us

Address:
EDF Energy
Hinkley Point B power station
Nr Bridgwater
Somerset
TA5 1UD
Reception: +44 (0)1278 654600
Media requests: A nnelise Cowie, +44 (0)1278 654535
Community requests: Dave Stokes, +44 (0)1278 654699

Safety and reporting

Our number one priority is safety. Find out about EDF Energy's commitment to Zero Harm.

Find out about safety and reporting

Hinkley Point C

EDF Energy is planning to build two new reactors at Hinkley Point - known as Hinkley Point C.

Learn more about Hinkley Point C

News

Letter to Hinkley Point Site Stakeholder Group

Hinkley Point B, 14 July 2014

A letter to Hinkley Point Site Stakeholder Group regarding weight loss in the graphite core.
EDF Energy and The Times Cheltenham Science Festival win award for ‘Collaborative Action’ in the South West

Hinkley Point B, 1 July 2014

EDF Energy and The Times Cheltenham Science Festival have won a prestigious award for ‘Collaborative Action’ by charity Business in the Community (BITC), as part of the 2014 Responsible Business Awards.
Visitor centre's anniversary

Hinkley Point B, 19 December 2013

Visitor centre celebrates its first anniversary