Energy giant EDF is expected to gain regulatory approval to extend the life of four nuclear power plants across the country, due to delays in replacement projects, The paper i can reveal.

This is the second time EDF has requested an extension to the life of the Hartlepool and East Lothian power stations, as well as two Heysham power stations, despite safety concerns at at least two of the sites.

The decision by the Nuclear Regulatory Office is expected to be announced before the end of the year. However, The paper i understands that all four are close to being approved.

THE extent of delays to government nuclear projects, including Sizewell C and the Small Modular Reactor Programdue to Brexit and soaring inflation, was revealed earlier this year.

This threatened to derail Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s plan to decarbonize the energy network by 2030 before Labor even entered Downing Street.

The national energy system operator has raised doubts about the government’s ability to meet its net zero emissions grid commitments in just five years.

The expansion of the four power plants is expected to keep the grid cleaner in the years to come, while new nuclear projects await launch.

Heysham 1 and Hartlepool were due to close in March this year, but were extended to 2026 by EDF in 2023. They have now been extended beyond 2026.

Heysham 2 and Torness nuclear power stations are currently scheduled to close in 2028, but are expected to be extended according to plans.
Torness, near Edinburgh, had its lifespan reduced by two years in 2021 due to cracks in the bricks, according to a report from the Office for Nuclear Regulator.

It has been reported that any expansion of the Torness power station would have been conditional on EDF proving its ability to continue operating beyond 2028.

Meanwhile, a recent steam leak at Heysham 1 could have seriously injured staff, according to a report from the Office for Nuclear Regulator, after a valve controlling reactor flow failed.

A number of safety notices have been issued to EDF this year by the nuclear regulator, which, according to some industrialists, is a sign of the aging of power plants.

An industry source said some of the reactors had already been “quite stretched” and further problems were likely.

Why does the government want to use nuclear energy?

Extending the lifespan of EDF’s four plants will provide the grid with much-needed baseload energy – the minimum amount of electricity required during the day. As of Sunday, nuclear power provided around 7.8 percent of the national grid’s electricity supply.

Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear power plants do not produce greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide or methane during operation, although building new plants is expensive and generates a low level of emissions through manufacturing of necessary materials such as steel.

A spokesperson for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero said: “The expansion of any nuclear power plant is a decision by the operator and the independent regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulator, based on safety considerations. and commercial.

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“EDF’s ambition is to further extend the life of four production nuclear power plants, subject to inspections and regulatory authorizations, and a decision will be made by the end of 2024.”

An EDF spokesperson said: “A decision will only be taken after rigorous consideration of all technical factors involved in the operation of these plants and their future operation will always be subject to regular inspections and monitoring of the independent regulatory body, the ONR.”

A spokesman for the Office of Nuclear Regulation said it would “work constructively with EDF if it had ambitions to extend the life of any of its plants”, but added that it “would not allow any facility to operate unless we are satisfied that it is safe to do so.”