The boss of the West Country’s only operating nuclear power station says his staff still have long futures in the industry, despite Hinkley Point B’s life coming to an end. The station, which began producing electricity in 1976, will stop generating next summer but it is hoped many of its workers will move to Hinkley Point C, which is being built next door. Hinkley Point B has been a fixture on the West Somerset coastline for half a century and has played a crucial part in the UK’s energy industry. When both reactors are operating it meets the needs of about a million homes. Peter Evans is the station director and says his staff still have long futures in the nuclear energy industry, despite the upcoming changes. “… we need the skill and the professionalism of the people who work here to continue defuelling these reactors.” Hinkley Point C is scheduled to start generating power in 2026. The gap between then and when B station stops operating next year will be the first time in over 60 years that the West Country hasn’t had an operating nuclear power station.
ITV 13th April 2021 read more »