Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his department holds on the planned shutdown date is for Hunterston (B) nuclear power station; what estimate his department has made of the average electricity generation capacity of that power station; and what plans his Department has to replace that capacity.
The shutdown of nuclear power stations is a matter for the operator and the Office for Nuclear Regulation. EDF Energy’s published closure dates and the generating capacity for these stations is set out in the following table.
Power station | EDF Energy’s published closure date | Generating capacity |
Hunterston B | 2022 | 965 MW |
Hinkley Point B | 2022 | 955 MW |
Hartlepool | 2024 | 1,180 MW |
Heysham 1 | 2024 | 1,155 MW |
Dungeness B | 2028 | 1,050 MW |
Torness | 2030 | 1,185 MW |
Heysham 2 | 2030 | 1,230 MW |
As set out in the government’s Energy White Paper, to meet our target of net zero emissions by 2050, we will need to have a significant expansion of renewable generation complemented by nuclear power, carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) and flexibility providing technologies.
We also have the capacity market mechanism which ensures the right incentives are in place to deliver the level of electricity required.