Hartlepool Power Station
Encyclopedia
Hartlepool power station is a nuclear power station situated on the northern bank of the mouth of the River Tees
, 2.5 mi (4 km) south of Hartlepool
in County Durham
, North East England
. The station has a net electrical output of 1,190 megawatts, which is 2% of Great Britain's peak electricity demand of 60 GW. Electricity is produced through the use of two advanced gas-cooled reactor
s (AGR). Hartlepool was only the third nuclear power station in the United Kingdom to use AGR technology. Hartlepool power station was also the first power station to be built as close to a major urban area.
Originally planned in 1967, with construction starting in 1969, the station started generating electricity in 1983, and was completed in 1985, initially being operated by the Central Electricity Generating Board. With privatisation of the UK's electric supply industry in 1990, the station has been owned by Nuclear Electric
and British Energy
, but is now owned and operated by EDF Energy
. On 18 October 2010 the British government announced that Hartlepool was one of the eight sites it considered suitable for future nuclear power stations.
(AGR) nuclear power station at Dungeness, the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) proposed their third AGR station in 1967 to be situated on the edge of the Durham coalfield, near the seaside resort
of Seaton Carew
. The proposal came at a time when the CEGB's move toward alternative fuels to coal, threatened the coal industry's existence. Despite this, and a short ministerial delay, the plans for the Seaton Carew station (which became known as Hartlepool nuclear power station) went ahead. Because the construction of the station was given the go ahead, the National Coal Board
were not able to get the CEGB behind the plans for a prototype fluidised bed combustion
(FBC) coal station at Grimethorpe
in Yorkshire. Because of this, the UK missed out on pioneering FBC technology, before it became internationally recognised as the best way of burning coal.
Sited 1.65 mi (2.7 km) from Seaton Carew, and in the middle of the industrial complex of Teesside
, the station was to be built closer to any major urban area than any nuclear power station site had been. To make this acceptable, the station's reactors were to be housed in prestressed concrete
pressure vessel
s.
The construction of the power station which was undertaken by Nuclear Design & Construction ('NDC'), a consortium backed by English Electric
, Babcock International Group
and Taylor Woodrow Construction, began in 1969. The construction was delayed in 1970, when the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate declared that they were unhappy with part of the station's boiler design, setting the CEGB back £25 million. The station's reactors were supplied by the National Nuclear Corporation, and the station's generating sets
by the General Electric Company. Some fourteen years into construction, the first of the station's two units were commissioned in 1983, the other in 1985. The station first generated electricity commercially on 1 August 1983.
(AGR) type. It provides electricity for over 3% of the UK using two 1575 MWth advanced gas reactors to heat two 660 MWe
generators, giving a maximum generating capacity of 1,320 MW. The station's net electrical output is 1,190 MW. This is enough electricity to power 1.5 million homes.
, suggested that the site would be a good location for a replacement nuclear power station. Then a year later in July 2009, the UK government named Hartlepool on a list of eleven sites in England and Wales, where new nuclear power stations could be built. On 9 November 2009, the government announced that ten of these sites, including Hartlepool, had been given the go-ahead for the construction of new reactors. If built, the station would use reactors capable of generating 1,800 MW each. It would cost between £1 billion and £2 billion to construct, would employ up to 3,000 construction workers for the possible six year construction period, as well as providing 600 full time jobs once completed. The new station has an anticipated operating life of 60 years.
The plans are opposed by environmental groups such as Greenpeace
. Many local people are also opposed to the move as the power station lies 1.65 mi (2.7 km) from the local resort of Seaton Carew
, although others support the idea as the current power station is a major employer in this area of high unemployment. In 2011, though, there is increased concern over these nuclear plans, following the serious nuclear accident at Fukushima in Japan. It should be noted, however that the reactors proposed at Hartlepool are a different design to those at Fukushima
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
, 2.5 mi (4 km) south of Hartlepool
Hartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
in County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
. The station has a net electrical output of 1,190 megawatts, which is 2% of Great Britain's peak electricity demand of 60 GW. Electricity is produced through the use of two advanced gas-cooled reactor
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...
s (AGR). Hartlepool was only the third nuclear power station in the United Kingdom to use AGR technology. Hartlepool power station was also the first power station to be built as close to a major urban area.
Originally planned in 1967, with construction starting in 1969, the station started generating electricity in 1983, and was completed in 1985, initially being operated by the Central Electricity Generating Board. With privatisation of the UK's electric supply industry in 1990, the station has been owned by Nuclear Electric
Nuclear Electric
Nuclear Electric was formed as a result of the privatisation of the UK Electricity Supply Industry.When the Central Electricity Generating Board was split up, its power stations were divided between PowerGen and National Power. The nuclear stations, Magnox, AGR and the then under construction...
and British Energy
British Energy
British Energy was the UK's largest electricity generation company by volume, before being taken over by Électricité de France in 2009. British Energy operated eight former UK state-owned nuclear power stations and one coal fired power station....
, but is now owned and operated by EDF Energy
EDF Energy
EDF Energy is an integrated energy company in the United Kingdom, with operations spanning electricity generation and the sale of gas and electricity to homes and businesses throughout the United Kingdom...
. On 18 October 2010 the British government announced that Hartlepool was one of the eight sites it considered suitable for future nuclear power stations.
History
With the economic success of another advanced gas-cooled reactorAdvanced 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...
(AGR) nuclear power station at Dungeness, the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) proposed their third AGR station in 1967 to be situated on the edge of the Durham coalfield, near the seaside resort
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
of Seaton Carew
Seaton Carew
Seaton Carew is a small seaside resort within the Borough of Hartlepool, in North East England with a population of 6,018 . It is situated on the North Sea coast between the town of Hartlepool and the mouth of the River Tees...
. The proposal came at a time when the CEGB's move toward alternative fuels to coal, threatened the coal industry's existence. Despite this, and a short ministerial delay, the plans for the Seaton Carew station (which became known as Hartlepool nuclear power station) went ahead. Because the construction of the station was given the go ahead, the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
were not able to get the CEGB behind the plans for a prototype fluidised bed combustion
Fluidized bed combustion
Fluidized bed combustion is a combustion technology used in power plants. Fluidized beds suspend solid fuels on upward-blowing jets of air during the combustion process. The result is a turbulent mixing of gas and solids. The tumbling action, much like a bubbling fluid, provides more effective...
(FBC) coal station at Grimethorpe
Grimethorpe
Grimethorpe is a large village which is part of the metropolitan borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 1,873....
in Yorkshire. Because of this, the UK missed out on pioneering FBC technology, before it became internationally recognised as the best way of burning coal.
Sited 1.65 mi (2.7 km) from Seaton Carew, and in the middle of the industrial complex of Teesside
Teesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
, the station was to be built closer to any major urban area than any nuclear power station site had been. To make this acceptable, the station's reactors were to be housed in prestressed concrete
Prestressed concrete
Prestressed concrete is a method for overcoming concrete's natural weakness in tension. It can be used to produce beams, floors or bridges with a longer span than is practical with ordinary reinforced concrete...
pressure vessel
Pressure vessel
A pressure vessel is a closed container designed to hold gases or liquids at a pressure substantially different from the ambient pressure.The pressure differential is dangerous and many fatal accidents have occurred in the history of their development and operation. Consequently, their design,...
s.
The construction of the power station which was undertaken by Nuclear Design & Construction ('NDC'), a consortium backed by English Electric
English Electric
English Electric was a British industrial manufacturer. Founded in 1918, it initially specialised in industrial electric motors and transformers...
, Babcock International Group
Babcock International Group
Babcock International Group plc is a British-based support services company specialising in managing complex assets and infrastructure in safety-critical and mission-critical environments. Although the company has civil contracts, its main business is with public bodies, particularly the UK...
and Taylor Woodrow Construction, began in 1969. The construction was delayed in 1970, when the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate declared that they were unhappy with part of the station's boiler design, setting the CEGB back £25 million. The station's reactors were supplied by the National Nuclear Corporation, and the station's generating sets
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
by the General Electric Company. Some fourteen years into construction, the first of the station's two units were commissioned in 1983, the other in 1985. The station first generated electricity commercially on 1 August 1983.
Specification
The station is of the advanced gas-cooled reactorAdvanced 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...
(AGR) type. It provides electricity for over 3% of the UK using two 1575 MWth advanced gas reactors to heat two 660 MWe
MWE
MWE may refer to:*Manufacturer's Weight Empty*McDermott Will & Emery*Midwest Express, an airline*Merowe Airport - IATA code*Multiword expressionMWe may refer to:*Megawatt electrical...
generators, giving a maximum generating capacity of 1,320 MW. The station's net electrical output is 1,190 MW. This is enough electricity to power 1.5 million homes.
Visitors centre
In the 1990s there was an interactive visitors centre on site. There was also an activity centre for school visits which hosted a number of special events. Tours of the power station itself also took place. The centre has since closed.Future of the station
The power station was originally expected to shut down in 2009, but was given permission by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) for an extension of five years in 2007, meaning that it can continue to generate until 2014. In 2010, the lifetime was further extended by another five years, so that generation can continue until 2019.New station
In July 2008, the plant's then operator British EnergyBritish Energy
British Energy was the UK's largest electricity generation company by volume, before being taken over by Électricité de France in 2009. British Energy operated eight former UK state-owned nuclear power stations and one coal fired power station....
, suggested that the site would be a good location for a replacement nuclear power station. Then a year later in July 2009, the UK government named Hartlepool on a list of eleven sites in England and Wales, where new nuclear power stations could be built. On 9 November 2009, the government announced that ten of these sites, including Hartlepool, had been given the go-ahead for the construction of new reactors. If built, the station would use reactors capable of generating 1,800 MW each. It would cost between £1 billion and £2 billion to construct, would employ up to 3,000 construction workers for the possible six year construction period, as well as providing 600 full time jobs once completed. The new station has an anticipated operating life of 60 years.
The plans are opposed by environmental groups such as Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
. Many local people are also opposed to the move as the power station lies 1.65 mi (2.7 km) from the local resort of Seaton Carew
Seaton Carew
Seaton Carew is a small seaside resort within the Borough of Hartlepool, in North East England with a population of 6,018 . It is situated on the North Sea coast between the town of Hartlepool and the mouth of the River Tees...
, although others support the idea as the current power station is a major employer in this area of high unemployment. In 2011, though, there is increased concern over these nuclear plans, following the serious nuclear accident at Fukushima in Japan. It should be noted, however that the reactors proposed at Hartlepool are a different design to those at Fukushima
See also
- 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...
- 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...