Community update
18 December 2018
Dear SSG Member,
As a member of our community, I believe it is important to keep you updated on any developments at Hunterston B Power Station.
I wanted to let you know that we have amended the return to service dates for both units at Hunterston B to allow for the assessment of the new seismic analysis and also further modelling work which is required to underpin both the Reactor 3 and Reactor 4 safety cases.
Our current estimate is that Reactor 4 will now return at the end of March 2019 and Reactor 3 will be back online at the end of April. Our strategy is progressing well and we are engaging positively with the Office for Nuclear Regulation throughout this complex programme of work. Our lifetime expectation to 2023 remains unchanged.
On 2 November we submitted a safety case to the ONR seeking approval for return to service of Reactor 4 and are also preparing to submit the safety case for Reactor 3. These must demonstrate that, for the next period of operation, the reactor will operate and shutdown safely during normal operation and during a highly unlikely earthquake scenario.
The ONR is independently reviewing the case and is assessing every aspect of our technical work. This is our normal process. It is not possible for us to confirm with certainty how long this process will take; our top priority is that it’s completed with appropriate rigour.
Details of our graphite programme and progress with these inspections is available here.
I hope this information is useful to you as a member of the Site Stakeholder Group. Should you wish to ask any questions please feel free to ring the Station on 01294 826000 and ask for our Communications Officer, Nikki Thomson.
Dr Roddy Angus
Acting Station Director
