Hartlepool nuclear power station

Hartlepool nuclear power station is a nuclear power station situated on the northern bank of the mouth of the River Tees, 2.5 mi (4 kilometres) south of Hartlepool in County Durham, North East England. The station has a net electrical output of 1,185 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 reactors (AGR). Hartlepool was only the third nuclear power station in the United Kingdom to use AGR technology. It was also the first nuclear power station to be built close to a major urban area.

Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station
Hartlepool nuclear power station
Viewed from the north in July 2022
CountryEngland, United Kingdom
LocationHartlepool, County Durham
Coordinates54°38′6″N 1°10′51″W
StatusOperational
Construction began
  • Unit 1: October 1, 1968 (1968-10-01)
  • Unit 2: October 1, 1968 (1968-10-01)
Commission date
  • Unit 1: August 1, 1983 (1983-08-01)
  • Unit 2: October 31, 1984 (1984-10-31)
Decommission dateExpected to begin March 2026
Owner(s)Central Electricity Generating Board
(1983–1990)
Nuclear Electric
(1990–1996)
British Energy
(1996–2009)
EDF Energy
(2009–present)
Operator(s)EDF Energy
Nuclear power station
Reactor typeGCR - AGR
Reactor supplierNational Nuclear Corporation
Cooling sourceCarbon Dioxide
Thermal capacity2 x 1500 MWth
Power generation
Units operational
  • 1 x 590 MWe
  • 1 x 595 MWe
Make and modelGeneral Electric Company
Nameplate capacity1,185 MWe
Capacity factor
  • Lifetime: (Up to 2021)
  • Unit 1: 68.4%
  • Unit 2: 70.0%
Annual net output5,710.75 GWh (20,558.7 TJ) (2021)
External links
WebsiteHartlepool nuclear power station and visitor centre | EDF
CommonsRelated media on Commons

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.

The power station will cease power generation in March 2026, prior to defueling and decommissioning.

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