One of Scotland’s two remaining nuclear power stations has achieved its longest uninterrupted period of electricity generation in four decades. Hunterston B has operated two reactors from a site on the North Ayrshire coast since 1976. When one of the reactors was taken off line on September 8 for maintenance work it had been running for 495 days – the longest run in the station’s 41 year history. The facility, operated by French energy giant EDF, is due to close in 2023. Its sister station, Hunterston A, was decommissioned in 1990. EDF carries out a statutory outage on each of its reactors every three years. These are planned in advance with the National Grid to ensure there is no impact on the national electricity supply.
Scotsman 13th Sept 2017 read more »