Released March 23, 2009 | BANGALORE, INDIA
en
Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--After 17 months of being out of service, two reactors at both the Heysham 1 and Hartlepool nuclear power stations in the United Kingdom have been brought back on line. The two power stations, owned by Electricite de France SA (EPA:EDF) (Paris), were shut down in October 2007, after the discovery of faults in boiler closure units (BCU) during a routine maintenance inspection. EDF acquired the previous owner of the plants, British Energy Group PLC (East Kilbride, Scotland), in January 2009 in an $18 billion takeover.
The BCUs are unique to the Heysham 1 and Hartlepool reactors. Each reactor has eight BCUs, which are wrapped circumferentially with nine layers of pre-stressed wire. Corrosion detected in these wires lead to the shutdown of these plants and preventive maintenance work was undertaken. A generator stator and the main transformer were replaced at the Hartlepool plant. Almost three kilometers of cast iron cooling water pipes were replaced at both the power plants. In addition, the secondary restraint components and instrumentation systems were upgraded at both the plants to improve reliability.
Together, the two power stations contribute 2,350 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the U.K.'s national grid, which has a total capacity of more than 80 gigawatts. Heysham 1, built between 1970 and 1984, generates 1,160 MW, while Hartlepool, built between 1960 and 1984, generates 1,190 MW of power. However, the U.K. government's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, established in April 2005 as part of the Energy Act of 2004, has decreed that both plants will be decommissioned in 2014.
At the peak of its popularity, in 1997, nuclear power contributed 26% of the total power production in the U.K., but by 2004, this had fallen to just under 20%. Many of the 24 existing nuclear power reactors at 20 sites were built in the 1960s through the 1980s. The latest nuclear power plant, the 1,188-MW Sizewell B, went on stream in 1995. Several of these are scheduled for decommissioning in the next few years.
Apart from the decommissioning of the Heysham 1 and Hartlepool power plants in 2014, the nuclear power plants operating in Wylfa, North Wales, with a capacity of 980 MW, and in Oldbury, Gloucestershire, with a capacity of 435 MW, are scheduled to be closed in 2010. The 840-MW Hunterston B power plant in Ayrshire, Scotland, and the 640-MW Hinkley Point B unit in Somerset will be decommissioned in 2016. The 1,090-MW Dungeness B plant in Kent will be shut down in 2018.
Since the mid-1990s, there has been a lack of consistent policies toward nuclear power in the U.K. A government white paper published in 2007 expressed a predominantly favorable position toward investigation into restarting the nuclear power industry. In 2008, the increased costs of fossil fuels prompted the U.K. government to encourage the development of new nuclear power plants by private operators in the hope that the first new power station would be operational by 2020. However, the Scottish government has vetoed the development of any new nuclear power projects in Scotland.
In January 2009, the U.K. government furnished details of the criteria against which potential sites for new plants will be judged. EDF has made proposals for eight new power plants: in Bradwell, Dungeness, Hartlepool, Heysham, Hinkley Point, Hunterston, Sizewell and Torness. All of these regions are or have been sites for nuclear power stations. Proposals have also been put forward to build new reactors at both Wylfa and Oldbury.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is a marketing information service specializing in industrial process, energy and financial related markets with products and services ranging from industry news, analytics, forecasting, plant and project databases, as well as multimedia services.
The BCUs are unique to the Heysham 1 and Hartlepool reactors. Each reactor has eight BCUs, which are wrapped circumferentially with nine layers of pre-stressed wire. Corrosion detected in these wires lead to the shutdown of these plants and preventive maintenance work was undertaken. A generator stator and the main transformer were replaced at the Hartlepool plant. Almost three kilometers of cast iron cooling water pipes were replaced at both the power plants. In addition, the secondary restraint components and instrumentation systems were upgraded at both the plants to improve reliability.
Together, the two power stations contribute 2,350 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the U.K.'s national grid, which has a total capacity of more than 80 gigawatts. Heysham 1, built between 1970 and 1984, generates 1,160 MW, while Hartlepool, built between 1960 and 1984, generates 1,190 MW of power. However, the U.K. government's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, established in April 2005 as part of the Energy Act of 2004, has decreed that both plants will be decommissioned in 2014.
At the peak of its popularity, in 1997, nuclear power contributed 26% of the total power production in the U.K., but by 2004, this had fallen to just under 20%. Many of the 24 existing nuclear power reactors at 20 sites were built in the 1960s through the 1980s. The latest nuclear power plant, the 1,188-MW Sizewell B, went on stream in 1995. Several of these are scheduled for decommissioning in the next few years.
Apart from the decommissioning of the Heysham 1 and Hartlepool power plants in 2014, the nuclear power plants operating in Wylfa, North Wales, with a capacity of 980 MW, and in Oldbury, Gloucestershire, with a capacity of 435 MW, are scheduled to be closed in 2010. The 840-MW Hunterston B power plant in Ayrshire, Scotland, and the 640-MW Hinkley Point B unit in Somerset will be decommissioned in 2016. The 1,090-MW Dungeness B plant in Kent will be shut down in 2018.
Since the mid-1990s, there has been a lack of consistent policies toward nuclear power in the U.K. A government white paper published in 2007 expressed a predominantly favorable position toward investigation into restarting the nuclear power industry. In 2008, the increased costs of fossil fuels prompted the U.K. government to encourage the development of new nuclear power plants by private operators in the hope that the first new power station would be operational by 2020. However, the Scottish government has vetoed the development of any new nuclear power projects in Scotland.
In January 2009, the U.K. government furnished details of the criteria against which potential sites for new plants will be judged. EDF has made proposals for eight new power plants: in Bradwell, Dungeness, Hartlepool, Heysham, Hinkley Point, Hunterston, Sizewell and Torness. All of these regions are or have been sites for nuclear power stations. Proposals have also been put forward to build new reactors at both Wylfa and Oldbury.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is a marketing information service specializing in industrial process, energy and financial related markets with products and services ranging from industry news, analytics, forecasting, plant and project databases, as well as multimedia services.
