Hinkley Point nuclear power plant
Hinkley Point nuclear power plant is a nuclear site in United Kingdom with 6 units on record. None is currently operating.
Units
| Unit | Status | Type | Model | Gross MW | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit C1 | Under construction | PWR | EPR-1750 | 1,720 | 2030 |
| Unit C2 | Under construction | PWR | EPR-1750 | 1,720 | 2031 |
| Unit A1 | Retired | GCR | MAGNOX | 267 | 1965 |
| Unit A2 | Retired | GCR | MAGNOX | 267 | 1965 |
| Unit B1 | Retired | GCR | AGR | 655 | 1978 |
| Unit B2 | Retired | GCR | AGR | 655 | 1976 |
Unit by unit
Each unit's rating, type and milestone dates as recorded by the Global Nuclear Power Tracker, with any correction we made to it. A dash or "not disclosed" means the source does not give the value.
Hinkley Point nuclear power plant C1 Under construction
| Reactor type | Pressurised water reactor (PWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | EPR |
| Size class | Large |
| Gross capacity | 1,720MW |
| Net capacity | 1,630MW |
| Thermal output | 4,524MWt |
| Enrichment | 3–5% U-235 |
| NSSS vendor | Framatome |
| Owner | China General Nuclear100% EDF Energy |
| Operator | EDF Energy China General Nuclear |
| Construction start | 11 Dec 2018 |
|---|---|
| Commercial operation | 1 Jan 2030 |
Hinkley Point nuclear power plant C2 Under construction
| Reactor type | Pressurised water reactor (PWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | EPR |
| Size class | Large |
| Gross capacity | 1,720MW |
| Net capacity | 1,630MW |
| Thermal output | 4,524MWt |
| Enrichment | 3–5% U-235 |
| NSSS vendor | Framatome |
| Owner | China General Nuclear100% EDF Energy |
| Operator | EDF Energy China General Nuclear |
| Construction start | 12 Dec 2019 |
|---|---|
| Commercial operation | 1 Jan 2031 |
Hinkley Point nuclear power plant A1 Retired
| Reactor type | Gas-cooled reactor (GCR) |
|---|---|
| Model | MAGNOX |
| Size class | Small |
| Gross capacity | 267MW |
| Net capacity | 235MW |
| Thermal output | 900MWt |
| Enrichment | Natural uranium to 2.5–3.5% U-235no enrichment required |
| NSSS vendor | not on record |
| Owner | Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (United Kingdom)100% |
| Operator | Magnox |
| Construction start | 1 Nov 1957 |
|---|---|
| First criticality | 1 May 1964 |
| Grid connection | 16 Feb 1965 |
| Commercial operation | 30 Mar 1965 |
| Permanent shutdown | 23 May 2000 |
Hinkley Point nuclear power plant A2 Retired
| Reactor type | Gas-cooled reactor (GCR) |
|---|---|
| Model | MAGNOX |
| Size class | Small |
| Gross capacity | 267MW |
| Net capacity | 235MW |
| Thermal output | 900MWt |
| Enrichment | Natural uranium to 2.5–3.5% U-235no enrichment required |
| NSSS vendor | not on record |
| Owner | Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (United Kingdom)100% |
| Operator | Magnox |
| Construction start | 1 Nov 1957 |
|---|---|
| First criticality | 1 Oct 1964 |
| Grid connection | 19 Mar 1965 |
| Commercial operation | 5 May 1965 |
| Permanent shutdown | 23 May 2000 |
Hinkley Point nuclear power plant B1 Retired
| Reactor type | Gas-cooled reactor (GCR) |
|---|---|
| Model | AGR |
| Size class | Large |
| Gross capacity | 655MW |
| Net capacity | 485MW |
| Thermal output | 1,494MWt |
| Enrichment | Natural uranium to 2.5–3.5% U-235no enrichment required |
| NSSS vendor | not on record |
| Owner | EDF Energy Ltd100% |
| Operator | EDF Energy |
| Construction start | 1 Sep 1967 |
|---|---|
| First criticality | 24 Sep 1976 |
| Grid connection | 30 Oct 1976 |
| Commercial operation | 2 Oct 1978 |
| Permanent shutdown | 1 Aug 2022 |
Hinkley Point nuclear power plant B2 Retired
| Reactor type | Gas-cooled reactor (GCR) |
|---|---|
| Model | AGR |
| Size class | Large |
| Gross capacity | 655MW |
| Net capacity | 480MW |
| Thermal output | 1,494MWt |
| Enrichment | Natural uranium to 2.5–3.5% U-235no enrichment required |
| NSSS vendor | not on record |
| Owner | EDF Energy Ltd100% |
| Operator | EDF Energy |
| Construction start | 1 Sep 1967 |
|---|---|
| First criticality | 1 Feb 1976 |
| Grid connection | 5 Feb 1976 |
| Commercial operation | 27 Sep 1976 |
| Permanent shutdown | 6 Jul 2022 |
Hinkley Point nuclear power plant in context
The 4 units with both construction and grid dates on record took 7.3 to 9.2 years (median 7.9) from construction start to grid connection; the median across all reactors connected in the 1970s is 5.4 years.
The nearest other tracked nuclear sites are Flamanville nuclear power plant (206 km).
Build time by unit
| Unit | Construction start | Grid connection | Years | Fleet median, same decade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit A1 | 1957 | 1965 | 7.3 | 5.0 (1960s) |
| Unit A2 | 1957 | 1965 | 7.4 | 5.0 (1960s) |
| Unit B2 | 1967 | 1976 | 8.4 | 5.4 (1970s) |
| Unit B1 | 1967 | 1976 | 9.2 | 5.4 (1970s) |
Nearest tracked nuclear sites
| Site | Country | Distance | Operating GW gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flamanville nuclear power plant | France | 206 km | 4.4 |
How these are worked out: ranks use gross operating capacity; ages count from the start-up year on record, as on the age page; build times run from construction start to grid connection, as on the build-times page; ratings are the tracker's net and design net capacity, as on the uprates page. Distances are straight-line between exact positions, so a site with only an approximate position gets none. A unit missing a date or a rating is left out of the figure that needs it.
Earthquakes nearby
Loading the latest USGS check…
| Time (UTC) | Mag | Depth | Epicentre | Distance |
|---|
Magnitude 4.0 and above within 200 km of Hinkley Point nuclear power plant's listed coordinates, past 30 days. This is distance, not shaking: it says nothing about damage or any change in operation. Every plant.
| Location | Somerset West and Taunton, England, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51.2070, -3.1316 |
| Elevation | about 15 mabove sea level |
| Setting | On the sea coast, 0.1 km from the water |
| Region | Northern Europe |
| Units by status | Under construction: 2 Retired: 4 |
Elevation is read at the listed coordinates from a 30 m terrain model (SRTM 30 m). Two independent models differ by a median of 6 m across our plants and by up to about 40 m on steep or coastal ground, and a point on a shoreline can read as sea level. Distance to the water is measured to a generalised 1:10 million coastline, so a few kilometres or less is not resolved. This is context, not a design-basis or flood-risk figure.
| Owners | Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (United Kingdom) EDF Energy Ltd EDF Energy China General Nuclear |
|---|---|
| Operators | Magnox EDF Energy China General Nuclear |
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Sources
- Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release , CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-09-06
- GEM.wiki entry (further reading) , CC BY-SA 4.0, linked, not quoted
How these sources are used, including the corrections applied on top of them and what is deliberately left blank · download the underlying data