Sizewell B Nuclear Power Plant Extension Approved for 20 More Years

A nuclear power plant on the East coast will produce electricity for a further 20 years after a deal was reached between its owner EDF and the government.

Sizewell B, near Leiston, Suffolk, started operating in 1995 and was due to reach the end of its life in 2035, but will now continue operating until 2055.

Robert Gunn, station director of Sizewell B, said the deal would ensure hundreds of jobs were safeguarded.

But Chris Wilson, from the campaign group Together Against Sizewell C (TASC), said future generations would be left dealing with the financial and environmental impact.

Private firm EDF runs Sizewell B and employs 620 staff and about 300 contractors at the plant.

The agreement will enable about £800m of plant investment by EDF, with the agreement due to be finalised later in the year.

Sizewell B is the country's only pressurised water reactor and provides energy to more than two million homes, producing 3% of the UK's energy.

According to EDF, the extension to its life would generate enough electricity to meet the needs of every home in East Anglia for almost 45 years.

Gunn said "major plant modifications and upgrades" would be made.

"Securing another 20 years also safeguards existing jobs and allows us to continue to recruit another generation of Suffolk young people for the nation's nuclear renaissance," he added.

A spokesperson for the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), the country's independent statutory regulator for nuclear safety, said it worked "constructively with EDF on their plans to extend the life of the nuclear plants by reviewing technical and safety case considerations while ensuring it achieves the required standards of safety and security in the most practical way."

It added: "The ongoing safety and security of operations at any nuclear site must be fully demonstrated to us as part of ongoing regulation which will be informed by our extensive, proportionate and targeted inspection and assessment regime."