Hinkley Point B begins decommissioning chapter

Hinkley Point B has transferred from EDF to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, moving one of Britain’s former advanced gas-cooled reactor stations into its long-term decommissioning programme.

The Somerset site will now be managed by Nuclear Restoration Services, the NDA subsidiary already responsible for neighbouring Hinkley Point A and other former nuclear sites around the country.

Around 250 employees are transferring from EDF to NRS, retaining operational knowledge at the site as responsibility shifts from generation and defuelling into decommissioning.

NDA group chief executive David Peattie said: “As our mission continues to expand, we’re proud to draw on decades of expertise, applying proven skills, innovation and experience to safely decommission the AGR fleet.”

Hinkley Point B began generating electricity in 1976 and stopped production in 2022 after around 46 years of operation.

The station subsequently underwent a three-year defuelling programme. More than 4,900 spent-fuel elements were removed, loaded into specialist transport flasks, and taken to Sellafield for storage.

The work was completed on time and on budget, according to the NDA, satisfying one of the principal requirements before the station could transfer out of EDF ownership.

Hinkley Point B is the second advanced gas-cooled reactor site to enter the NDA estate following Hunterston B in Scotland in April. Dungeness B is expected to transfer before the end of the decade, with Hartlepool, Heysham 1, Heysham 2, and Torness due to follow after generation and defuelling end.

The sequence expands the scale of Britain’s publicly managed nuclear clean-up programme. The NDA has historically managed many of the country’s earliest nuclear sites, but the retirement of the AGR fleet brings another generation of large power stations into its remit.

Decommissioning extends across decades rather than years. Work includes dismantling plant, managing radioactive material, packaging and storing waste, maintaining security and safety systems, and preparing parts of sites for alternative use where that can eventually be achieved.

Former nuclear stations therefore continue to support substantial employment long after electricity generation ends. Engineering, safety, environmental, project-management, security, and specialist contracting roles remain necessary throughout the programme.

The Hinkley area now contains three distinct generations of UK nuclear activity. Hinkley Point A is already being decommissioned, Hinkley Point B is beginning that process, and Hinkley Point C remains under construction nearby.

The economic activity associated with clean-up is significant in its own right. Government analysis estimates that Hinkley Point A contributed around £31m in economic value to the local authority area during 2024/25 and £61m across the wider UK.

Funding for AGR decommissioning is supported through the Nuclear Liabilities Fund, whose ring-fenced resources are intended to meet eligible costs associated with the former EDF fleet.

Hinkley Point B has stopped selling electricity, but the site now enters another long industrial programme. Its workforce and supply chain will shift towards dismantling, waste management, engineering, and restoration as the station moves through decades of regulated decommissioning activity.