Dungeness nuclear power plant A2
Retired United Kingdom
Gross capacity
230MW
Dungeness nuclear power plant A2 is a gas-cooled reactor unit at Dungeness nuclear power plant in United Kingdom rated at 230 MW gross. It is retired. Commercial operation began 30 Dec 1965.
Specification
| Reactor type | Gas-cooled reactor (GCR) |
|---|---|
| Model | MAGNOX |
| Size class | Large |
| Coolant | Carbon dioxide |
| Moderator | Graphite |
| Gross capacity | 230MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 225MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 275MW |
| Thermal output | 840MWt |
| Typical enrichment | Natural uranium to 2.5–3.5% U-235 |
Ownership & location
| Site | Dungeness nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | A2 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Owner | Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (United Kingdom)100% |
| Operator | Magnox |
| Coordinates | 50.9139, 0.9620 |
Fuel chain for this unit
Fuel form
Uranium metal (Magnox) or uranium dioxide (AGR)
Enrichment
Natural uranium to 2.5–3.5% U-235 no enrichment required
Upstream
This unit runs on natural uranium, so its fuel chain has no enrichment step at all: mine → mill → conversion → fabrication. That is the shortest fuel chain of any commercial reactor type, and it makes the operator independent of the four organisations that control enrichment worldwide.
Fabricator capability is recorded against reactor type and model line, not against named units —
utilities do not publish fuel contracts. See the fuel chain.
Timeline
- 1 Jul 1960Construction start
- 1 Sep 1965First criticality
- 1 Nov 1965Grid connection
- 30 Dec 1965Commercial operation
- 31 Dec 2006Permanent shutdown
Other units at Dungeness nuclear power plant
| Unit | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|
| Dungeness nuclear power plant A1 | Retired | 230 |
| Dungeness nuclear power plant B1 | Retired | 615 |
| Dungeness nuclear power plant B2 | Retired | 615 |
| Dungeness nuclear power plant C | Cancelled | 1,650 |
Other MAGNOX units
30 units worldwide share this model designation.
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nyongbyon nuclear power plant 1 | North Korea | 5 | |
| Berkeley nuclear power plant 1 | United Kingdom | Retired | 166 |
| Berkeley nuclear power plant 2 | United Kingdom | Retired | 166 |
| Bradwell nuclear power plant 1 | United Kingdom | Retired | 146 |
| Bradwell nuclear power plant 2 | United Kingdom | Retired | 146 |
| Calder Hall nuclear power plant 1 | United Kingdom | Retired | 60 |
| Calder Hall nuclear power plant 2 | United Kingdom | Retired | 60 |
| Calder Hall nuclear power plant 3 | United Kingdom | Retired | 60 |
| Calder Hall nuclear power plant 4 | United Kingdom | Retired | 60 |
| Chapelcross nuclear power plant 1 | United Kingdom | Retired | 60 |
| Chapelcross nuclear power plant 2 | United Kingdom | Retired | 60 |
| Chapelcross nuclear power plant 3 | United Kingdom | Retired | 60 |
Sources
- Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release — CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-09-06 · this unit last researched by GEM on 2024-05-17
- GEM.wiki entry (further reading) — CC BY-SA 4.0 — linked, not quoted