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Berkeley nuclear power station

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Template:Infobox UK power station

Berkeley nuclear power station is a disused Magnox power station situated on the bank of the River Severn in Gloucestershire, England.

History

The construction of the power station, which was undertaken by a consortium of AEI and John Thompson[1] began in 1956.[2] It had two Magnox reactors producing 276 megawatts (MW) in total[3] – enough electricity on a typical day to serve an urban area the size of Bristol. The reactors were supplied by The Nuclear Power Group (TNPG) and the turbines by AEI.[3]

Reactor 2 was shut down in October 1988, followed by Reactor 1 in March 1989. Berkeley was the first commercial nuclear power station in the United Kingdom to be decommissioned following its closure in 1989. So far the nuclear decommissioning process has involved the removal of all fuel from the site in 1992, and the demolition of structures such as the turbine hall in 1995 and cooling ponds in 2001.[4] The next step of decommissioning will be the care and maintenance stage of the nuclear reactor structures until radioactive decay means that they can be demolished and the site completely cleared.

Berkeley is one of four stations located close to the mouth of the River Severn and the Bristol Channel, the others being Oldbury, Hinkley Point A and Hinkley Point B.

See also

References

  1. ^ The UK Magnox and AGR Power Station Projects
  2. ^ "Nuclear energy past, present and future". The Nuclear Industry Association. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  3. ^ a b Nuclear Power Plants in the UK
  4. ^ "Decommissioning at Berkeley Power Station - UK". World Nuclear Association. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
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