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.
Since 1976 Hinkley Point B has generated low carbon electricity for 81 million homes
Avoiding 105.5m tonnes of CO2 emissions*
Like taking every car off the UK’s roads for 18 months
*when compared to direct emissions of combined cycle gas turbines | all figures rounded to the nearest hundred thousand
Take a look around Hinkley Point B nuclear power station
Station Director Peter Evans takes a tour of Hinkley Point B and explains the integral role graphite plays in Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors.
About Hinkley Point B
- Station Director: Peter Evans
- Reactor type: 2 Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors
- Total supply to the national grid: 965 MW
- Coolant: Carbon dioxide gas (CO2)
- Start of construction: 1967
- Start of generation: 1976
- Estimated decommissioning date: July 2022
- People: Approximately 535 full time EDF employees, plus over 220 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)
Visit Hinkley Point B 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.
The Hinkley Point visitor centre is moving from its former home in Bridgwater’s Angel Place shopping centre to its new location at Cannington Court. Work is well underway at the new site so that it is ready when public visits are possible again in the future.
The brand new Visitor Centre is a place where people of all ages can learn more about the construction and operation of Hinkley Point B and C while also exploring the low-carbon energy system of the future.
Find out more about Hinkley Point B
Safety and reporting
Our number one priority is safety. Find out about EDF Energy's commitment to Zero Harm.
Community
EDF 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.
Contact us
- Address:
EDF Hinkley Point power station
Nr Bridgwater
Somerset TA5 1UD
Reception:
+44 (0)1278 654600 - Media requests:
Matthew Pardo Matthew.Pardo@edf-energy.com
+44 (0)7384 529006
Community requests:
Dave Stokes
dave.stokes@edf-energy.com
+44 (0)1278 654699
Latest news and community updates
Find out more about EDF
How do you decommission a nuclear power station?
By 2030 all seven of EDF’s AGR nuclear power stations are expected to have ended power generation and be at various stages of decommissioning.
How we generate our power
As Britain's biggest generator of zero carbon electricity(1) we generate power from wind + nuclear + solar.
Hinkley Point C
Hinkley Point C nuclear power station is currently under construction and is the first nuclear power station to be built in the UK in a generation. The twin unit UK EPR reactors will be capable of generating 3,260MW of secure, low-carbon electricity for 60 years.