United Kingdom - World Nuclear Performance Report
The UK has nine operable reactors at five sites; eight are advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGRs), with one pressurized water reactor (PWR) at Sizewell. In January 2024 EDF announced it would invest a further £1.3 billion (approximately $1.7 billion) in the UK’s operating plants over the following two years and planned to further extend the operating lifetimes of the AGR plants. In December
2024 EDF announced that Heysham I and Hartlepool would operate until March 2027, and Heysham II and Torness would operate until March 2030.
Two EPR units are under construction at Hinkley Point. In January 2024 EDF said that they are now unlikely to be operational before 2030. In the same announcement EDF said the estimated cost of the project had increased to between £31 and 34 billion (in 2015 prices, approximately $47-52 billion) – up from £26 billion ($40 billion), as estimated in 2022. In December 2024 the first reactor
vessel was installed.
A second pair of EPR reactors are planned at Sizewell. In June 2025 the UK government committed £14.2 billion (approximately $19.3 billion) towards the project, and in July EDF said it would invest up to GBP 1.1 billion, taking a 12.5% stake. Also, in June 2025 the government announced that following a two-year competition Rolls-Royce SMR had been selected as the preferred bidder to
construct the UK’s first SMRs.
Earlier in February 2025 the UK government announced plans to reform planning requirements and regulatory rules as part of measures to streamline the process of constructing new nuclear power plants in England and Wales.
Nuclear electricity production by age of reactor
