Heysham nuclear power plant A1
Gross capacity
625MW
Heysham nuclear power plant A1 is a gas-cooled reactor unit at Heysham nuclear power plant in United Kingdom rated at 625 MW gross. It is operating. Commercial operation began 1 Apr 1989.
Specification
| Reactor type | Gas-cooled reactor (GCR) |
|---|---|
| Model | AGR |
| Size class | Large |
| Coolant | Carbon dioxide |
| Moderator | Graphite |
| Gross capacity | 625MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 485MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 611MW |
| Thermal output | 1,500MWt |
| Typical enrichment | Natural uranium to 2.5–3.5% U-235 |
Ownership & location
| Site | Heysham nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | A1 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Owner | EDF Energy Ltd100% |
| Operator | EDF Energy |
| Coordinates | 54.0295, -2.9149 |
| Planned retirement | 2028planned, not actual |
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
Who makes this assembly
- Westinghouse Electric Company AGR fuel elements
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utilities do not publish fuel contracts.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 Dec 1970Construction start
- 6 Apr 1983First criticality
- 9 Jul 1983Grid connection
- 1 Apr 1989Commercial operation
Other units at Heysham nuclear power plant
| Unit | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|
| Heysham nuclear power plant A2 | 625 | |
| Heysham nuclear power plant B1 | 680 | |
| Heysham nuclear power plant B2 | 680 |
Other AGR units
15 units worldwide share this model designation.
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartlepool nuclear power plant A1 | United Kingdom | 655 | |
| Hartlepool nuclear power plant A2 | United Kingdom | 655 | |
| Heysham nuclear power plant A2 | United Kingdom | 625 | |
| Heysham nuclear power plant B1 | United Kingdom | 680 | |
| Heysham nuclear power plant B2 | United Kingdom | 680 | |
| Torness nuclear power plant 1 | United Kingdom | 682 | |
| Torness nuclear power plant 2 | United Kingdom | 682 | |
| Dungeness nuclear power plant B1 | United Kingdom | Retired | 615 |
| Dungeness nuclear power plant B2 | United Kingdom | Retired | 615 |
| Hinkley Point nuclear power plant B1 | United Kingdom | Retired | 655 |
| Hinkley Point nuclear power plant B2 | United Kingdom | Retired | 655 |
| Hunterston nuclear power plant B1 | United Kingdom | Retired | 644 |
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 2026-06-25
- GEM.wiki entry (further reading) — CC BY-SA 4.0 — linked, not quoted