Milestone moment at Somerset powerhouse
Hinkley Point B, the nation’s first operating Advanced Gas cooled Reactor, today enters a new phase of its life as it is confirmed to be fuel free.
Between 1976 and 2022 Hinkley Point B provided so much electricity it could meet the needs of every home from the tip of Cornwall to the top of Gloucestershire, for 33 years.
In August 2022 the power station’s generating life came to an end. Within weeks work started to remove all of the remaining nuclear fuel. The final fuel left the site on Friday, November 28. Today January 12, 2026, the defueling job is officially complete as the Office for Nuclear Regulation confirmed Hinkley Point B was granted Fuel Free Verification status.
Des Uminski, Station Director, said: “This is a huge moment for the Hinkley Point B team. For our first 46 years we focussed on turning out the megawatts for the nation. In 2022 we shifted to turning out the fuel as we emptied our reactors. As of today, our focus is on the full, safe decommissioning of the site.
“I want to thank the teams here at Hinkley B who removed the fuel in just over three years. We knew this would be a challenge – but as usual our staff have risen to it and delivered brilliantly.
“We have had many years to prepare for this moment and the change that it means, but it is still a pivotal point in our site history and for our teams.”
When defueling started in September 2022 Hinkley Point B had to remove 616 stringers of nuclear fuel from the site. The fuel was packaged into specially engineered, transportable fuel flasks which were then moved by rail by Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS) to Sellafield for safe storage.
Both Sellafield and NTS are part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) group, as is Nuclear Restoration Services, which will be responsible for the full decommissioning of the site when it transfers to the NDA in 2026.
David Peattie, NDA group CEO, said: “This has been a real team effort with strong collaboration displayed throughout between EDF and the NDA group. It’s a tremendous achievement for everyone involved, in particular the dedicated team at Hinkley Point B, who we look forward to welcoming into our group this year.
“The successful defueling of the first two AGR stations demonstrates we have the right capability, affirming the government’s confidence in us to expand our mission.
“We’re proud to utilise our unique expertise and resources, both to keep the nation safe and support the country’s energy security ambitions.”
Notes to Editors
- Hinkley Point B stopped generating in August 2022. Defueling of Reactor 4 started in September 2022 and took 24 months. Defueling of Reactor 3 started in August 2024 and was completed in November 2025.
- The cost of defueling the power station was covered by the Nuclear Liabilities Fund (NLF) a specific fund set up in 1996 to pay for decommissioning. The NLF is made up of operator contributions, money from the sale of British Energy to EDF, investment returns and money from the UK Government.
- The NDA is responsible for decommissioning the UK’s 17 earliest nuclear sites, removing the risks and hazards, so that eventually the sites can be released for other uses.
- Hunterston B will be the first AGR station to transfer to the NDA group in 2026 followed by Hinkley Point B later this year. The other sites will be Dungeness B, Hartlepool, Heysham 1, Heysham 2 and Torness.
About EDF
EDF is driving the transition towards An Electric Britain – a secure, affordable, low-carbon future for everyone. As Britain’s biggest generator of zero carbon electricity, we are investing more than £100 million weekly in Britain’s electricity infrastructure. We supply millions of customers with electricity and help homes and businesses switch to electricity for heating, transport and industrial processes.
We operate five nuclear power stations and more than 35 onshore wind farms and three offshore wind farms. Since 2009, EDF has invested almost £9 billion in the nuclear fleet to improve reliability and extend station lifetimes. The five generating stations currently supply about 12% of the UK’s electricity demand.
EDF is building the UK's nuclear renaissance with the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C. We are a minority investor (12.5%) in and major supplier to a replica plant at Sizewell C in Suffolk. Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C will provide low carbon electricity to meet 14% of UK demand and power around 12 million homes. EDF Group companies Framatome and Arabelle Solutions have a presence in the UK and manufacture critical equipment such as reactor pressure vessels and turbines.
EDF is enabling its 5 million customers, both in business and at home, to choose electric solutions that save cash and carbon, whether it is buying an electric car, generating and storing electricity, selling energy back to the grid or installing solar panels or a heat pump. In 2025, EDF’s Customers business was ranked as one of the Sunday Times’s Best Place to Work.
It is also one of the UK’s leading developers of renewable energy through EDF power solutions UK and Ireland. We have more than 2GW of renewable generation in operation and over 10GW in construction, planning and development across a range of technologies including onshore and offshore wind, solar and battery storage.
We are one of the largest suppliers to British business and a leading supplier of innovative energy solutions that are helping businesses become more energy independent. In addition, the company’s energy services business, Dalkia, one of the UK and Ireland’s largest technical service providers.
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