Extend life of Hinkley Point B reactor to avert blackout risk, say experts
Ministers have just weeks to intervene to extend the life of the Hinkley Point B nuclear power station, industry sources have warned, as officials raise concerns over the danger of blackouts this winter.
The two reactors of the Somerset nuclear power station are due to be shut down on 8 July and 1 August, removing nearly a gigawatt of power generation capacity from the UK’s system – enough to power 1.5m homes – and as the nights draw in, the war in Ukraine is expected to weigh heavily on electricity supplies.
The possibility of extending the plant’s life has been mooted by experts and politicians for months, but it is understood that the government has not made any formal request for its owner, France’s EDF Energy, to keep the reactors open.
Industry insiders have expressed concern over the lack of action by the government to ask EDF to extend the life of the plant as it approaches the end of its scheduled operations. One said: “They’ve left it right to the very end, and we’re not sure if it’s possible.”
The government on Monday played down fears of power cuts later this year, after it emerged that officials had modelled a “reasonable worst-case scenario” that could include millions of households being forced to limit their electricity consumption at peak times.
Downing Street insisted that the prospect of rationing was remote, with “sensible” plans being drawn up to ensure the lights stay on in even the worst-case scenario. The modelling, first reported by the Times, comes as households struggle with a cost of living crisis driven by energy prices that are expected to jump further in the autumn.
The government is scrambling to secure enough electricity to maintain buffers during the winter. Last week the business secretary,
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