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UTILITY WEEK | 21ST - 27TH APRIL 2017 | 15 Generation Review The next Utility Week Generation Review will take a closer look at marine power POWER REACTORS OPERATING IN THE UK Plant Type Present capacity First power Expected shutdown (MWe net) Dungeness B 1&2 AGR 2 x 520 1983 & 1985 2028 Hartlepool 1&2 AGR 595, 585 1983 & 1984 2024 Heysham 1 1&2 AGR 580, 575 1983 & 1984 2024 Heysham 2 1&2 AGR 2 x 610 1988 2030 Hinkley Point B 1&2 AGR 475, 470 1976 2023 Hunterston B 1&2 AGR 475, 485 1976 & 1977 2023 Torness 1&2 AGR 590, 595 1988 & 1989 2030 Sizewell B PWR 1,198 1995 2035 Total 15 units: 8,883MWe Alleviating such risks will require diligent and shrewd negotiations with Euratom and other international bodies, and the creation of a UK equivalent to manage and oversee everything from operational standards to the commercial arrangements around waste disposal. This rewriting and renewal of how the industry operates will also enable a rethink on where the sector should focus, which mar- kets it seeks to operate in, and which areas it wishes to invest in and focus on. In response to the Euratom concerns, trade and investment minister Greg Hands indicated that the government sees it as a challenge, but also an opportunity. "Our nuclear safeguarding and safety regime will continue to be forward-looking and our nuclear research and development expertise will remain pride of place. We will do this by seizing the global opportunity out there, har- nessing the UK's world leading capability," he said. Capitalising on new nuclear technologies With its pipeline of proposed plants, even with the uncertainty that surrounds them, the UK stands as a major market for the global nuclear sector and will be in a good position to capitalise on companies seek- ing to gain access. With its strong research base and a strong domestic supply chain, the sector is in a good position to focus on the emerging opportunities of new technology. Principal among these is the area of small modular reactors (SMRs). Essentially mini- nuclear power plants, SMRs are seen as having the potential to power towns rather than cities or entire regions, and while their operation and distribution are accompanied by far stricter and complex regulations than apply to conventional generation, they are nothing like as complex as apply to tradi- tional nuclear power plants. Produced in factories and transported to site, they are seen as a means of comple- menting larger developments in established markets and enabling those looking to take their first steps into the market to do so. Discussing the potential of the market, Anurag Gupta, director of nuclear at KPMG UK, said: "SMRs promise all the benefits of nuclear – low cost and green power – but without the significant cost and schedule overrun issues that have beset conventional large nuclear projects." With British engineering giant Rolls- Royce backing a push for progress in SMRs in the UK and an industrial strategy that prizes economic opportunity as highly as decar- bonisation, the UK stands in prime position to capitalise. However, as the long lead-in time for Hin- kley has shown, when it comes to nuclear power both government and industry kick difficult questions into the long grass. If SMRs are to have a chance of success, we first have to collectively decide whether we really want them. HINKLEY POINT C November 2005: The government launches a review into the UK's energy system. July 2006: The energy review approves new nuclear as a source of secure, low-carbon power, but says it will be up to the private sector to pay for it. February 2007: EDF announces plans to build the first new nuclear plant in Britain for a generation. Chief executive of EDF Energy Vincent de Rivaz says by Christmas 2017 Britons will be cooking their Turkeys with power generated at Hinkley. May 2009: Centrica agrees to take a 20 per cent stake in a joint venture with EDF to build four new nuclear plants. October 2011: EDF submits its planning application. February 2012: Centrica pulls out of joint venture with EDF. March 2013: Energy secretary Ed Davey approves the construction of Hinkley. October 2013: CfD strike price of £92.50/MWh agreed. October 2015: China General Nuclear Power Corporation signs a deal with EDF to take a 35 per cent stake in the project. March 2016: EDF's chief financial officer quits. July 2016: Board member Gerard Magnin quits. 28 July 2016: EDF board approves final investment decision. UK government puts project on ice. 15 September 2016: UK government agrees conditional Hinkley Point C deal with EDF Energy in principle. 31 March 2017: EDF Energy pours first concrete for Hinkley Point C Dungeness B 1&2 Sizewell B Hartlepool 1&2 Heysham 1 1&2 Heysham 2 1&2 Hunterston B 1&2 Torness 1&2 Hinkley Point B 1&2