Berkeley's two Magnox reactors closed in 1989 after 27 years and were fuel-free by 1992, the first Magnox station to defuel. The reactors were put into safestore in 2010 and the site is moving towards care and maintenance until radioactive decay allows demolition.
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Current state
| Status | SAFSTOR |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Location | Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England |
| Site | Berkeley |
| Units | Reactor 1, Reactor 2 |
| Unit count | 2 |
| Reactor types | Magnox |
| Net capacity (MWe) | 276 |
| Owner / licensee | Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (site licensee: Nuclear Restoration Services) |
| Decommissioning contractor | Nuclear Restoration Services |
| Strategy | Deferred (SAFSTOR) |
| Final shutdown | 1989 |
| Decommissioning start | 1989 |
| Spent fuel | Fuel-free since 1992. |
Notes
Capacity 2 x 138 MWe per WNA.
Timeline
- 1962 — Berkeley came into service. (source)
- 1989 — The twin reactor station closed after 27 years. (source)
- 1992 — Berkeley became fuel-free. (source)
- 2010 — The two reactors were put into safestore. (source)
- 2026-02-26 — ONR introduced a new regulatory approach for the former Magnox sites. (source)
The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.
Related sites
- Barsebäck Nuclear Power Plant Active dismantling · Sweden
- Bradwell (Magnox) SAFSTOR · United Kingdom
- Dounreay (DFR and PFR fast reactors) Active dismantling · United Kingdom
- Dresden Unit 1 SAFSTOR · United States
- Dungeness B Fuel removal · United Kingdom
- Hinkley Point B Active dismantling · United Kingdom
- Humboldt Bay Power Plant Unit 3 License terminated · United States
- Hunterston B Active dismantling · United Kingdom
See all 72 sites in the Nuclear Decommissioning Tracker →
Sources
- Berkeley — Office for Nuclear Regulation (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- ONR introduces new regulatory approach for former Magnox nuclear sites — Office for Nuclear Regulation (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Decommissioning Nuclear Facilities — World Nuclear Association, checked 2026-10-11