EDF provides an update on its UK nuclear generation business to help develop an understanding of its role in short-term energy security, as well as help the UK deliver longer-term policy objectives.
EDF owns and operates eight nuclear power stations across the UK, five that are generating and three in the defueling phase. It is building Hinkley Point C in Somerset and there are plans to develop a sister station at Sizewell C, with a final investment decision due in 2023.
EDF’s role in short-term energy security
- Over the 2023-25 period, EDF plans to invest £ 1 billion in the UK fleet to sustain output and help maintain the security of supply.
- The case to extend generation at Hartlepool and Heysham 1 power stations (2.2GW) - beyond the current estimated end date of March 2024 will be reviewed in the coming months, with an ambition to generate longer if possible.
- Output from the nuclear fleet in 2022 is forecast to be 42TWh (13% of UK demand), which is in line with the plan and sold well below current wholesale prices.
- During the next 18 months, the total available generating capacity is 5.5GW, providing an important source of home-grown, low-carbon power that helps limit gas imports.
- In its thermal business, EDF has answered a Government request to keep part of West Burton A coal-fired power station open for a further six months (to 31 March 2023), with 400MW available if needed by the National Grid.
clean and affordable electricity
Our priority in the next few years is to deliver as much output as we safely can from the existing fleet"
Matt Sykes, Managing Director of EDF’s Generation business, said, “The 5,000 people managing the UK’s existing nuclear fleet continue to make a vital contribution to powering households and businesses with clean and affordable electricity during this very challenging time."
"Our priority in the next few years is to deliver as much output as we safely can from the existing fleet, to support the security of supply and help preserve the UK’s nuclear skills.”
nuclear skills
Over the longer term, EDF is committed to playing its part in the Government’s commitment to expanding UK nuclear capacity up to 24GW by 2050. With major interests in four of the eight designated sites for development (Hinkley Point, Sizewell, Hartlepool, and Heysham), the company is working with ‘Great British Nuclear’ to help Government develop ideas on how to bring the policy goals to life.
Preserving and developing nuclear skills alongside financing and planning consent for new nuclear is a key priority for all those with an interest in re-building the UK’s nuclear capabilities. Currently, EDF will invest around £ 40 million in training its nuclear workforce and continues to build a centralized technical skills capability to support future developments.
Long term commitments
Our business vision is focused on harnessing our nuclear skills and capabilities to manage the gap"
Next year EDF will hire up to 200 people to join its existing fleet and move its operational and technical headquarters to smaller, more modern offices in Gloucester and Glasgow.
Matt Sykes said, “Our business vision is focused on harnessing our nuclear skills and capabilities to support the industry’s transformation and to help manage the gap between older stations coming offline and future ones starting up; all those with an interest in the sector’s future need to work together towards that common goal.”
investment
In terms of investment, EDF and partners are investing £ 26 billion to construct Hinkley Point C, a 3.2GW power station that will supply 7% of the UK’s electricity. Advanced plans are in place for a replica at Sizewell C in Suffolk, and EDF is pursuing a 20-year extension of Sizewell B out to 2055.
The company is also working with technology providers on plans for Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) at its Hartlepool site, to support industrial decarbonization on Teesside; and is keen to explore options to support the development of the site, including both new nuclear technologies and hydrogen production at its Heysham site in Lancashire.
EDF’s West Burton A coal-fired power station site in Nottinghamshire is on the shortlist for the UKAEA’s STEP fusion project, with a decision expected in the coming months.