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nuclear•chain

Winfrith SGHWR nuclear power plant

Retired United Kingdom
Gross capacity
100MW

Winfrith SGHWR nuclear power plant is a pressurised heavy water reactor unit at Winfrith SGHWR nuclear power plant in United Kingdom rated at 100 MW gross. It is retired. Commercial operation began 1 Jan 1968.

Specification
Reactor type Pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR)
Modelnot disclosed
Size classLarge
CoolantHeavy water
ModeratorHeavy water
Gross capacity100MW
Net capacity (reference)92MW
Net capacity (design)92MW
Thermal output318MWt
Typical enrichmentNatural uranium, 0.71% U-235
Ownership & location
SiteWinfrith SGHWR nuclear power plant
Unitnot stated
CountryUnited Kingdom
OwnerUnited Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority100%
OperatorUnited Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
Coordinates 50.6825, -2.2649
Fuel chain for this unit
Fuel form
Natural uranium dioxide bundles
Enrichment
Natural uranium, 0.71% U-235 no enrichment required
Who makes this assembly
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.

Conversion
CamecoCNNCConverDynOranoRosatom
Fabricator capability is recorded against reactor type and model line, not against named units — utilities do not publish fuel contracts.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. 1 May 1963Construction start
  2. 1 Sep 1967First criticality
  3. 1 Dec 1967Grid connection
  4. 1 Jan 1968Commercial operation
  5. 11 Sep 1990Permanent shutdown

Sources