Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station could earn a reprieve as EDF Energy vows to review closure date to help deal with energy crisis

Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station, along with Heysham, in Morecambe, is currently due to be decommissioned in March 2024.

But with costs spiralling and concerns about global energy supply the station may be given a temporary reprieve.

An EDF spokeswoman said: “In light of the severity of the energy crisis and the results of recent graphite inspections, EDF will look to review the case for a short extension for Heysham 1 and Hartlepool Power Stations to generate beyond the current forecast of March 2024.”

A key consideration in whether the plant will remain operational is the ongoing solidity and condition of the graphite blocks in the nuclear reactor. The blocks house the nuclear rods which would be used to shut down the power station in an emergency.

Over time the graphite can become cracked and checks must ensure the blocks can withstand a “seismic event larger than any ever experienced in the UK”.

The spokeswoman said: “The condition of the graphite is a life-limiting factor in all nuclear power stations. We need to be sure that if an earthquake was to take place then all the rods would be able to go into the graphite blocks. The safety checks at Hartlepool revealed that no cracks were found which is one of the reasons we have the confidence to carry out a lifetime review to extend the life of the station.

“This will also depend on the results of graphite inspections over the coming months."

Hartlepool and Heysham power stations provide five per cent of the UK’s energy and the news of a possible extension has been “welcomed” by the GMB, the union for nuclear workers.

However, EDF have stressed that all they have committed to is a review of the closure date.

The spokeswoman added: “It is important that preparations for defueling continue so that if the stations do end generation in the next 18 months we are operationally ready to start defueling.

“This is in line with the Public Accounts Committee’s recommendation in May that we work with the UK Government and the Office for Nuclear Regulation, to establish what the lifetimes at the remaining operating stations will look like.

"Our overall objective is to maximise zero carbon output from these key national assets, as long as it is safe and commercially viable to do so and while EDF maintains ongoing Government and regulatory support.”

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Hartlepool is one of the sites being considered for a new nuclear reactor as part of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Energy Security Strategy to build eight new nuclear plants as well as speed up plans for wind, solar and hydrogen power.

Speaking at the time, Hartlepool MP Jill Mortimer said the town was “at the front of the queue for a new reactor”.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen also described it as a “no brainer” for the town to get a next generation reactor.

EDF have said the decommissioning will be “reviewed in the coming months”, with an “ambition to generate longer if possible”.