Hinkley Point B nuclear power station in Somerset has officially transferred from EDF to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) for decommissioning. The site will now be managed by Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS), an NDA subsidiary, which also oversees the decommissioning of the adjacent Hinkley Point A site.
This transfer marks a new chapter for Hinkley Point B, which began exporting electricity to the national grid in 1976 as the first British-designed Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor. It ceased generating power in 2022, having produced enough zero-carbon electricity to power every home in the South West of England for 33 years.
The decommissioning process is expected to sustain around 250 skilled jobs, with staff transferring from EDF to NRS. NDA Group CEO David Peattie stated that the mission continues to expand, drawing on decades of expertise to safely decommission the AGR fleet.
Energy Minister Michael Shanks noted that the transfer marks an important new chapter for Hinkley Point B, which has played a key role in reducing reliance on fossil fuels. This milestone follows five years of collaboration between government, the NDA group, EDF, and regulatory bodies.