Hunterston B Nuclear Plant Begins Overhaul

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The Hunterston B nuclear reactor in the U.K. is to be taken offline for one of its biggest service and maintenance overhauls.

Located in North Ayrshire, Scotland, one of the plant's two units was shut down last week as part of a major scheduled overhaul, performed every three years. The plant's workforce will almost double with the arrival of about 250 specialists to help with the work, which EDF Energy said was the "culmination of two years of meticulous planning." More than 13,000 separate pieces of work are scheduled to be completed, with a total spend of more than 25 million euros ($33 million). The unit will be brought back online in October.

Colin Weir, station director said: "Once again Hunterston B will turn to a number of local firms, with whom we have a tried and trusted relationship, to provide essential services during this outage. We are impressed by the high standards of the companies we work with and the quality of their workmanship. These companies will work alongside specialist firms from across the world, who are leaders in their field."

Weir told BBC Scotland: "As the plant ages, we have to look at what's ageing and replace some components. More importantly, we also test and inspect our components, much as you would with a vintage car. We take a great deal of care with our nuclear power plant."

Hunterston B uses two Advanced Gas Cooled Reactors (AGRs) and has a combined generating capacity of 960 megawatts. It provides enough power for approximately 1.7 million homes. It started life in 1976 and during its 39-year span has helped offset 169 million tonnes of CO2, something EDF claimed is the "equivalent to taking all of the passenger cars off the U.K.'s roads for 2.6 years".

At the end of 2012, Hunterston B was one of two plants that were granted a life extension for another seven years by the U.K. government. The other plant was Hinkley Point B in Somerset, and both plants are cleared to operate until 2023. EDF runs eight nuclear power plants in the U.K. and will play a key role in the country's ambitious new nuclear build program. EDF's U.K. fleet--which uses mainly advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGRs) and one pressurized water reactor (PWR)--has a combined generation capacity of almost 9,000 megawatts (MW). For additional information, see December 10, 2012, article--Longer Life for UK Nuclear Plants.

In October last year, EDF and the U.K. Government reached commercial agreement on the key terms of a proposed investment contract for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset. For additional information, see October 21, 2013, article--First New U.K. Nuclear Project Moves Forward.

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