Facts and figures
Hinkley Point A started generating electricity in 1965 and its closure was announced in 2000.
The twin reactor station is situated on the Somerset coast, five miles west of the River Parret estuary. Its location was deliberately chosen as the land offers easy access, is geologically sound and has a vast and unlimited source of billions of litres of cooling water from the Bristol Channel.
| Basics | |
| Location: | Somerset |
| Nearby towns/cities: | Bridgwater (13 km) |
| Site area: | 26 hectares |
| Current workforce: | 488 full time staff |
| Key dates | |
| Construction start: | 1957 |
| Construction end: | 1965 |
| Start operation: | 1965 |
| End operation: | 1999 |
| Defuelling start: | 2000 |
| Defuelling end: | 2004 |
| Interim decommissioning start: | 2004 |
| Interim decommissioning end: | 2015 (Future prediction based on the current plan) |
| Plant description | |
| Reactor type: | Magnox |
| Number of reactors: | 2 |
| Number of fuel channels per reactor: | 4,500 |
| Number of fuel elements per channel: | 8 |
| Number of control rods: | 127 |
| Fuel material: | Natural uranium |
| Reactor coolant: | Carbon dioxide |
| Number of turbo generators: | 6 |
| Electrical output – original design (net): | 500MW |
| Electrical output – prior to closure (net): | 470MW (Prior to shutdown) |
| Station lifetime output to date: | 103 TWh |
| Previous operators: | Central Electricity Generating Board, Nuclear Electric and Magnox Electric |
| Adjacent nuclear power station: | British Energy’s Hinkley Point B |
| Unique facts | |
| The site is entirely surrounded by land that is now designated as an area of important ecological value. For example, part of the site borders the Bridgwater Bay Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI) | |
