Hinkley Point B, a two-reactor AGR that generated 311 TWh over 46 years, shut in August 2022 and was declared fuel-free in January 2026. On 1 October 2026 the ONR approved its relicensing to Nuclear Restoration Services, making it the second AGR handed from EDF to the NDA for decommissioning.
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Current state
| Status | Active dismantling |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Location | Bridgwater, Somerset, England |
| Site | Hinkley Point |
| Units | Reactor 1, Reactor 2 |
| Unit count | 2 |
| Reactor types | AGR |
| Owner / licensee | Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (site licensee: Nuclear Restoration Services) |
| Decommissioning contractor | Nuclear Restoration Services |
| Strategy | Deferred (SAFSTOR) |
| Final shutdown | 2022-08 |
| Decommissioning start | 2026-10-01 |
| Spent fuel | Fuel-free since January 2026: more than 4,900 fuel elements sent by rail to Sellafield; final fuel left 28 November 2025. |
| Notable issue | Neighbours the Hinkley Point C new-build and the Magnox Hinkley Point A decommissioning site. |
Notes
Strategy classification as for Hunterston B (medium certainty).
Timeline
- 1976-02 — Hinkley Point B was first synchronised to the grid. (source)
- 2022-08 — Hinkley Point B permanently shut down. (source)
- 2025-11 — Defueling of Reactor 3 was completed; ONR had granted decommissioning consent in late October 2025. (source)
- 2026-01-13 — EDF declared Hinkley Point B free of fuel. (source)
- 2026-10-01 — ONR approved transfer of the site licence to Nuclear Restoration Services. (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
- Berkeley (Magnox) SAFSTOR · United Kingdom
- 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
- 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
- Hinkley Point B plant declared free of fuel — World Nuclear News, checked 2026-10-11
- U.K. consents to Hinkley Point B decommissioning — ANS Nuclear Newswire, checked 2026-10-11
- ONR gives green light for Hinkley Point B licence transfer to Nuclear Restoration Services — Office for Nuclear Regulation (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Hinkley Point B becomes second AGR plant transferred for decommissioning — World Nuclear News, checked 2026-10-11
- About NRS — NRS Site Stakeholder Groups (primary), checked 2026-10-11