British Nuclear Fuels has announced that all eight of its Magnox Nuclear Power Stations across Britain will close between now and 2021. Magnox reactors are responsible for discharges of radioactive material, technetium 99, into the environment. The announcement is designed to satisfy the terms of the 1998 OSPAR agreement which aims to reduce radioactive discharges to the marine environment to as close as possible to zero by 2020.
Under the plan, Calder Hall nuclear reactor at Sellafield will close between 2006 and 2008, by then it will be 50 years old. The company has also announced that the Magnox reprocessing plant at Sellafield, known as B205, will close sometime around 2012. The reactor at Bradwell in Essex will close by 2002. Hinkley Point in Somerset, which has been shut down for some time, will not reopen, while Wylfa in Wales will close sometime between 2016 and 2021.
Most of the nuclear power stations have been in operation since the 1950s and 60s. By the time they close they will all have reached the end of their lisenced lifetime. However BNFL said they could have been kept going longer for economic reasons. Each station employs about 350 people. BNFL says it was announcing closure dates well ahead of time, to allow them plan with affected communities for decommissioning.
