Hinkley Point C nuclear power station
Encyclopedia
Hinkley Point C nuclear power station is a proposed development for a new nuclear power
station in Somerset
, England.
In September 2008 it was announced, by Electricité de France
(EDF) the new owners of Hinkley Point B
, that a third, twin-unit European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) reactor is planned for Hinkley Point
,
to join Hinkley Point A
(Magnox
), which is now closed and being decommissioned, and the Hinkley Point B (AGR
) which is due for closure in 2016.
On 18 October 2010 the British government announced that Hinkley Point was one of the eight sites it considered suitable for future nuclear power stations. Electricité de France
(EdF) submitted an application for development consent to the Infrastructure Planning Commission
on 31 October 2011.
The French-owned EDF bought EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Ltd, then known as British Energy, for £12.4 billion in a deal that was finalised in February 2009. This deal was part of a joint venture with Centrica, who acquired a 20% stake in EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Ltd as well as the option to participate in EDF Energy's UK new nuclear build programme. EDF is currently planning to build a third-generation nuclear power station at Hinkley Point which will generate around 1,600 MW of electricity.
This follows the decision in January 2008, by the UK government to give the go-ahead for a new generation of nuclear power stations to be built. Hinkley Point C, in conjunction with Sizewell C
, could contribute 13% of UK electricity in the early 2020s.
Until November 2004 EDF was a government corporation, but it is now a limited-liability corporation
under private law (société anonyme
). The French government
partially floated
shares of the company on the Paris Stock Exchange
in November 2005, although it retains almost 85% ownership as of the end of 2007.
's EPR
design for any new build reactors in the UK. The first commercial EPR power stations are currently being built at Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant in Finland and Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant
in France. The EPR design can use 5% enriched uranium oxide
fuel, optionally with up to 50% mixed uranium plutonium oxide
fuel. The EPR is the evolutionary descendant of the Framatome N4 and Siemens Power Generation Division
KONVOI reactors.
and Severn Estuary
. The group issued a press release opposing any plans for a new power station on 24 September 2008, when it was announced that EDF had offered to acquire British Energy, but acknowledged that opposition in the local area is by no means unanimous.
government finance was no longer available.
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
station in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England.
In September 2008 it was announced, by Electricité de France
Électricité de France
Électricité de France S.A. is the second largest French utility company. Headquartered in Paris, France, with €65.2 billion in revenues in 2010, EDF operates a diverse portfolio of 120,000+ megawatts of generation capacity in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.EDF is one of...
(EDF) the new owners of Hinkley Point B
Hinkley Point B nuclear power station
Hinkley Point B is a nuclear power station near Bridgwater, Somerset, on the Bristol Channel coast of south west England.-History:The construction of Hinkley Point B, which was undertaken by a consortium known as The Nuclear Power Group , started in 1967. The reactors were supplied by TNPG and the...
, that a third, twin-unit European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) reactor is planned for Hinkley Point
Hinkley Point
Hinkley Point is a headland on the Bristol Channel coast of Somerset, England, five miles north of Bridgwater and five miles west of Burnham-on-Sea, close to the mouth of the River Parrett....
,
to join Hinkley Point A
Hinkley Point A nuclear power station
Hinkley Point A nuclear power station was a Magnox power station located on a site in Somerset on the Bristol Channel coast, west of the River Parrett estuary.-History:...
(Magnox
Magnox
Magnox is a now obsolete type of nuclear power reactor which was designed and is still in use in the United Kingdom, and was exported to other countries, both as a power plant, and, when operated accordingly, as a producer of plutonium for nuclear weapons...
), which is now closed and being decommissioned, and the Hinkley Point B (AGR
Advanced gas-cooled reactor
An advanced gas-cooled reactor is a type of nuclear reactor. These are the second generation of British gas-cooled reactors, using graphite as the neutron moderator and carbon dioxide as coolant...
) which is due for closure in 2016.
On 18 October 2010 the British government announced that Hinkley Point was one of the eight sites it considered suitable for future nuclear power stations. Electricité de France
Électricité de France
Électricité de France S.A. is the second largest French utility company. Headquartered in Paris, France, with €65.2 billion in revenues in 2010, EDF operates a diverse portfolio of 120,000+ megawatts of generation capacity in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.EDF is one of...
(EdF) submitted an application for development consent to the Infrastructure Planning Commission
Infrastructure Planning Commission
The Infrastructure Planning Commission began operating on 1 October 2009 as the examining and in certain circumstances the decision making body for proposed nationally significant infrastructure projects in England and Wales...
on 31 October 2011.
The French-owned EDF bought EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Ltd, then known as British Energy, for £12.4 billion in a deal that was finalised in February 2009. This deal was part of a joint venture with Centrica, who acquired a 20% stake in EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Ltd as well as the option to participate in EDF Energy's UK new nuclear build programme. EDF is currently planning to build a third-generation nuclear power station at Hinkley Point which will generate around 1,600 MW of electricity.
This follows the decision in January 2008, by the UK government to give the go-ahead for a new generation of nuclear power stations to be built. Hinkley Point C, in conjunction with Sizewell C
Sizewell nuclear power stations
Sizewell nuclear power stations are two nuclear power stations located near the small fishing village of Sizewell in Suffolk, England. Sizewell A, with two magnox reactors, is now in the process of being decommissioned, while Sizewell B has a single pressurised water reactor and is the UK's newest...
, could contribute 13% of UK electricity in the early 2020s.
Until November 2004 EDF was a government corporation, but it is now a limited-liability corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
under private law (société anonyme
S.A. (corporation)
S.A. designates a particular type of corporation in various countries, mostly those employing the civil law. It originated in Spain during the 16th century. Depending on language, the abbreviation stands for various phrases meaning anonymous society, anonymous company, anonymous partnership, or...
). The French government
Government of France
The government of the French Republic is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic. The nation declares itself to be an "indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic"...
partially floated
Initial public offering
An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...
shares of the company on the Paris Stock Exchange
Euronext Paris
Euronext Paris is France's securities market, formerly known as the Paris Bourse, which merged with the Amsterdam, Lisbon and Brussels exchanges in September 2000 to form Euronext NV, which is the second largest exchange in Europe behind the UK's London Stock Exchange...
in November 2005, although it retains almost 85% ownership as of the end of 2007.
European Pressurised Reactor
EDF plans to use Areva NPAreva
AREVA is a French public multinational industrial conglomerate headquartered in the Tour Areva in Courbevoie, Paris. AREVA is mainly known for nuclear power; it also has interests in other energy projects. It was created on 3 September 2001, by the merger of Framatome , Cogema and...
's EPR
European Pressurized Reactor
The EPR is a third generation pressurized water reactor design. It has been designed and developed mainly by Framatome , Electricité de France in France, and Siemens AG in Germany...
design for any new build reactors in the UK. The first commercial EPR power stations are currently being built at Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant in Finland and Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant
Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant
The Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant is located at Flamanville, Manche, France on the Cotentin Peninsula.It houses two pressurized water reactors that produce 1300 MWe each and came into service in 1986 and 1987, respectively. It produced 18.9 TWh in 2005, which amounted to 4% of the electricity...
in France. The EPR design can use 5% enriched uranium oxide
Enriched uranium
Enriched uranium is a kind of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 has been increased through the process of isotope separation. Natural uranium is 99.284% 238U isotope, with 235U only constituting about 0.711% of its weight...
fuel, optionally with up to 50% mixed uranium plutonium oxide
MOX fuel
Mixed oxide fuel, commonly referred to as MOX fuel, is nuclear fuel that contains more than one oxide of fissile material. MOX fuel contains plutonium blended with natural uranium, reprocessed uranium, or depleted uranium. MOX fuel is an alternative to the low-enriched uranium fuel used in the...
fuel. The EPR is the evolutionary descendant of the Framatome N4 and Siemens Power Generation Division
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
KONVOI reactors.
Opposition
A protest group, Stop Hinkley, has been formed to campaign for the closure of Hinkley Point B and oppose any expansion at the Hinkley Point site or elsewhere in the Bristol ChannelBristol Channel
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean...
and Severn Estuary
Severn Estuary
The Severn Estuary is the estuary of the River Severn, the longest river in Great Britain. Its high tidal range means it has been at the centre of discussions in the UK regarding renewable energy.-Geography:...
. The group issued a press release opposing any plans for a new power station on 24 September 2008, when it was announced that EDF had offered to acquire British Energy, but acknowledged that opposition in the local area is by no means unanimous.
1980s PWR proposal
An earlier proposal for a Hinkley Point C power station was made by the Central Electricity Generating Board in the 1980s for a sister power station to Sizewell B, using exactly the same pressurised water reactor design. This proposal obtained planning permission in 1990 following a public enquiry, but was dropped as uneconomic in the early 1990s when the electric power industry was privatised and low discount rateDiscount rate
The discount rate can mean*an interest rate a central bank charges depository institutions that borrow reserves from it, for example for the use of the Federal Reserve's discount window....
government finance was no longer available.
See also
- Energy policy of the United KingdomEnergy policy of the United KingdomThe current energy policy of the United Kingdom is set out in the Energy White Paper of May 2007 and Low Carbon Transition Plan of July 2009, building on previous work including the 2003 Energy White Paper and the Energy Review Report in 2006...
- Energy use and conservation in the United KingdomEnergy use and conservation in the United KingdomEnergy use in the United Kingdom stood at 3,894.6 kilogrammes of oil equivalent per capita in 2005 compared to a world average of 1,778.0. In 2008, total energy consumed was 9.85 exajoules - around 2% of the estimated 474 EJ worldwide total...
- Nuclear power in the United KingdomNuclear power in the United KingdomNuclear power currently generates around a sixth of the United Kingdom's electricity. As of 2011, the United Kingdom operates 19 nuclear reactors at nine locations...
External links
- Stop Hinkley, local protest group
- Infrastructure Planning Commission