Hunterston nuclear power plant A2
Retired United Kingdom
Gross capacity
173MW
Hunterston nuclear power plant A2 is a gas-cooled reactor unit at Hunterston nuclear power plant in United Kingdom rated at 173 MW gross. It is retired. Commercial operation began 1 Jul 1964.
Specification
| Reactor type | Gas-cooled reactor (GCR) |
|---|---|
| Model | MAGNOX |
| Size class | Large |
| Coolant | Carbon dioxide |
| Moderator | Graphite |
| Gross capacity | 173MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 150MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 150MW |
| Thermal output | 595MWt |
| Typical enrichment | Natural uranium to 2.5–3.5% U-235 |
Ownership & location
| Site | Hunterston nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | A2 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Owner | Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (United Kingdom)100% |
| Operator | Magnox |
| Coordinates | 55.7200, -4.8975 |
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utilities do not publish fuel contracts.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 Oct 1957Construction start
- 1 Mar 1964First criticality
- 1 Jun 1964Grid connection
- 1 Jul 1964Commercial operation
- 31 Dec 1989Permanent shutdown
Other units at Hunterston nuclear power plant
| Unit | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|
| Hunterston nuclear power plant A1 | Retired | 173 |
| Hunterston nuclear power plant B1 | Retired | 644 |
| Hunterston nuclear power plant B2 | Retired | 644 |
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