Reactor set to restart

Feb 3 2009 by Iain Laing, The Journal

NUCLEAR power firm British Energy has said it is ready to restart another reactor hit by technical issues.

The company has been dogged by long-term problems at its Heysham and Hartlepool sites, but said a “comprehensive” return to service for Reactor 1 at its Heysham 1 plant was due in the “coming days”.

The firm, which is being bought by French giant EDF, also said last week it was ready to reopen Reactor 1 at Hartlepool. Reactors at the two power stations have undergone detailed inspections since problems were discovered in October 2007. The Heysham 1 go-ahead comes after approval from the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) to return the unit to service.

The company also expects to return the second reactor at Heysham 1 and Hartlepool’s Reactor 2 to service in the coming weeks. The closures followed the discovery of a broken wire on a boiler closure unit, leading to engineering modifications.