Sizewell B Nuclear Reactor Resumes Operation After £75 Million Upgrade

The reactor at Sizewell B Power Station, situated in Sizewell, Suffolk, which is the largest nuclear power facility in a county, has been reactivated. This follows the completion of £75 million in improvement works, enabling it to once again supply zero-carbon electricity to properties nationwide. The nuclear reactor had been shut down in October to allow engineers to conduct refueling and implement several upgrades, such as the replacement of a rotor system within a turbine. Robert Gunn, the station director, stated: “Our teams have performed an amazing job. They completed 15,000 separate pieces of work across 1,500 pieces of our plant.” During the period of shutdown, hundreds of additional personnel traveled to the county to execute the tasks, which encompassed inspections of the reactor’s system and its associated pipelines. Mr. Gunn further commented: “We even sent divers to our intake pipe, which draws in the water we use in our operations, for inspections.” He also remarked: “Because of this work we now have a hugely improved picture of what is happening in our plant and reactor.” He concluded by stating: “We plan to extend the life of our plant, beyond 2035 to 2055, so understanding what is happening inside all of our systems is vital.”