Centrica and EDF extend lives of 4 nuclear power plants (4.7 GW) in the UK

The UK energy group Centrica and its partner EDF have announced the extension of the lives of four operational advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGR) nuclear power plants in the United Kingdom totalling 4.7 GW. 

Heysham 1 (1.1 GW) and Hartlepool (1.2 GW) are now expected to generate electricity until March 2027, one year later than previously expected, while Heysham 2 (1.2 GW) and Torness (1.2 GW) have been extended by two years and are now expected to generate until March 2030. These extensions are expected to add around 9 TWh to the Company's electricity generation volumes between 2026 and 2030. All four power plants were commissioned in the 1980s.

In January 2024, the UK Government unveiled a roadmap to increase nuclear generating capacity fourfold in the country, attaining 24 GW of nuclear capacity by 2050. In 2023, nuclear represented about 14% of the UK power mix.