Where things stand: The report notes that the British nuclear fleet produced 32.9 terawatt-hours in 2025—about 12 percent of the country’s electricity consumption. The five operating nuclear sites in the U.K., comprising nine reactors, are Hartlepool-A1 and -A2; Heysham-A1, -A2, -B1, and -B2; Sizewell B; and Torness-1 and -2. Dungeness B, Hinkley Point B, and Hunterston B are all undergoing decommissioning. Since acquiring the nuclear fleet in 2009, EDF has invested about £8.6 billion ($11.6 billion) and intends to invest a further £1.2 billion ($1.6 billion) over the next three years.
Sizewell B achieved a capacity factor of 99 percent for 2025, generating 10.4 TWh and supporting EDF’s plans to seek a 20-year life extension for the reactor, from 2035 to 2055. Additionally, the estimated generating lifetimes of Hartlepool and Heysham were extended by an additional year, to March 2028. EDF hopes to operate those plants beyond that time, to at least 2030.
Two of the decommissioning power plants are now free of spent nuclear fuel. Both Hunterston B and Hinkley Point B are on schedule to transfer to Nuclear Restoration Services (a subsidiary of the government’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority) in 2026. EDF is working with government and private companies to develop its sites, with plans taking shape for new nuclear reactors at Cottam and Hartlepool. Heysham in Lancashire and Torness in Scotland also have potential advantages as sites for new nuclear development.
New construction: The report elaborated on the ongoing construction of Hinkley Point C in Somerset and plans for Sizewell C in Suffolk.
Two EPR reactors have been under construction at Hinkley Point C since 2016. Earlier this January, the second reactor pressure vessel was delivered to Hinkley Point C. (The first was delivered in 2023.)
EDF has been building up the workforce at the site. “We have also supported colleagues at [the decommissioning] Hunterston B and Hinkley Point B to take on new opportunities at other sites in the generating fleet, in our central support teams and new nuclear projects,” the report said.
The report also mentioned the investment decision for Sizewell C that was made last year. As Nuclear Newswire reported last June, “The U.K. government announced . . . its £14.2 billion (about $19.2 billion) investment in Sizewell C, where EDF Energy plans to build two 1,600-MWe EPRs.”
Future prospects: In addition to Hinkley Point and Sizewell, other new projects in the works in the U.K. are noted in the report, including the following:
- SMRs for Nottinghamshire—“The proposed new small modular reactor (SMR) project at Cottam in Nottinghamshire, developed by EDF UK, Holtec International, and Tritax Management, would see the construction of a 1GW data centre at the former Cottam power station, powered by four . . . SMRs to be built on the same site. . . . Feasibility studies and early investment discussions are underway,” the report noted.
- A new generation of gas reactors—“Elsewhere, Centrica and X-energy have signed a joint development agreement to explore deploying X-energy’s High Temperature Gas Reactors at Hartlepool and beyond. Both parties recognize our valuable nuclear expertise in this area and discussions are ongoing as to how we can support the development plans.” Centrica and X-energy first announced this partnership to deploy 6 GW of Xe-100 SMRs in the U.K. last September.
- Welsh SMRs—“The third project to be announced in 2025 was the selection of the Wylfa site in Wales as the preferred location for the first Rolls Royce SMRs. This would be progress for the site after years of uncertainty and as the need for wider industry involvement becomes clearer EDF will look to establish how it can support.”
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