EDF Energy said the performance of its UK nuclear power plants in 2024 was “very good”, with an output of 37.3 TWh – a level it aims to maintain over the coming years. Meanwhile, a new report has highlighted the contribution that nuclear energy has made to economic growth in the UK.
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EDF manages the UK’s eight nuclear power plant sites, five that are operating (Sizewell B, Torness, Heysham 2, Heysham 1 and Hartlepool) and three that have entered decommissioning (Hunterston B, Hinkley Point B and Dungeness B). It took over the sites when it acquired British Energy in 2009. The company is also constructing the new Hinkley Point C plant in Somerset, and there are advanced plans for a replica of Hinkley Point C at Sizewell C in Suffolk.
“UK nuclear output in 2024 totalled 37.3 TWh – the same as 2023 – and nearly four times more than was anticipated for 2024 at the point of acquisition in 2009,” EDF Energy said. “The UK imported 21 TWh from France in 2024, the majority of which will have been generated by French nuclear reactors.”
It added: “The objective is to sustain output at around this level into 2027 and longer, if possible.”
EDF noted it has invested about GBP8 billion (USD10 billion) in the UK fleet since it acquired it in 2009 and will invest a further GBP1.3 billion over the next three years (2025-27) “to help sustain current levels of generation, boost energy security and cut carbon”.
“While output has dropped from a high point in 2016 of 65 TWh from eight power stations, the fleet still plays an integral part in supporting UK energy security,” the company said. “This is especially true when demand is high and renewables output is low due to weather conditions.”
Priorities for next 10 years
EDF Energy said it has set itself a number of priorities over the next decade.
It said the Sizewell B pressurised water reactor in Suffolk, which started operations in 1995, provides 3% of the UK’s electricity demand, “making it important for energy security and the UK’s clean power goals”. EDF said it will invest to enable a potential 20-year operating extension, taking the lifetime from 2035 to 2055. “This decision is subject to agreeing the appropriate commercial model to ensure such an extension is viable,” it noted.
In December, further life extensions for the four generating Advanced Gas Cooled Reactor (AGR) plants were announced. Heysham 1 and Hartlepool will generate for one year longer, until 2027, and Heysham 2 and Torness would have their lifetimes extended by two years to 2030. EDF said it aims to generate beyond these dates, subject to plant inspections and regulatory oversight.
An agreement to defuel all seven AGR plants was reached in June 2021. Once the used fuel has been removed, each plant will be transferred to Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS), part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). There are three power stations currently in defueling (Hunterston B, Hinkley Point B and Dungeness B). EDF said it is its target to make this transfer approximately 9-12 months after each power station is declared as ‘fuel free’. The first plant due to transfer will be Hunterston B in mid-2026 with the rest of the fleet due to transfer on a rolling basis in the years that follow, depending on actual end of generation dates and overall defueling performance at each station and at Sellafield.
EDF said its objective is to help restore UK nuclear output back above 60 TWh per annum by replacing the existing AGR fleet capacity by installing new EPRs at Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C and extending Sizewell B out to 2055.
“Beyond this major commitment, we will continue to support government and industry with any plans to deliver a fleet of small modular reactors (SMRs), further large-scale nuclear at Wylfa and elsewhere and investment in advanced technologies,” it said. “In line with the UK government strategy, EDF has continued to explore options for the long-term future of our sites. We are open in terms of which designs are taken forward at our sites and look forward to the government’s revised nuclear roadmap and further direction on which technologies should be developed on which sites as part of a holistic UK new build programme.”
Economic impacts of nuclear energy
At the same time as EDF Energy released its annual fleet update, a new report was published by independent consultants Economic Insight highlighting the significant contribution that nuclear energy has made to economic growth in the UK over the last five decades.
The report, commissioned by EDF, shows that the current fleet of eight nuclear power plants have so far contributed more than GBP123 billion to the UK economy since the two oldest plants started operating in 1976.
It found that the fleet supported 31,000 jobs each year when all eight plants were generating. Five thousand of those jobs have been directly with EDF, with the majority coming through supply chain and other induced impacts, like hospitality businesses supported by local wages. That means an average of 5.3 additional jobs in the UK economy for every EDF job.
The positive impact on the UK supply chain is also highlighted with a finding that more than 90% of supply chain spending is made domestically, with around 1500 UK-based companies.
The report also employs a new methodology for calculating the carbon the plants have avoided from entering the atmosphere. Instead of comparing the output with gas generation alone, the report looks at the historical energy mix, when coal was the prevailing fuel. This reveals that the 2126 TWh of electricity the fleet has generated has avoided 1.1 billion tonnes of carbon, the equivalent to 16 years of UK car emissions.
“Nuclear power stations do not just produce zero-carbon electricity, they have supported tens of thousands of livelihoods for decades,” said Mark Hartley, Managing Director of EDF’s Nuclear Operations business. “This is the first time the economic impact of the operating phase of the fleet has been analysed in this way. Seeing how the combined value of the power, jobs and supply chain spend adds up over time really helps to throw into sharp relief the positive impact that these facilities have on economic growth. The investment made in these stations over nearly 50 years has paid dividends, and will continue to do so, not just for the people working and living close to the stations but also the millions who benefit from the zero-carbon electricity they produce.”
