Bradwell Power Station

Infobox UK power station
os_grid_reference=TM001087
latitude=51.741266
longitude=0.896879
country=England
region=East of England
shire_county=Essex
fuel=Nuclear
opened=1956
closed=2002

Bradwell power station is a twin Magnox reactor nuclear power station now undergoing decommissioning following shutdown at the end of March 2002 after 40 years of operation. It is located on the Dengie peninsula at the mouth of the River Blackwater in Essex, England.

Construction of Bradwell power station began in December 1957 and electricity generation started in 1962. It was one of eleven Magnox nuclear power stations commissioned in the United Kingdom between 1956 and 1971. In 1966, twenty natural uranium fuel rods were stolen from Bradwell. [cite book|url=http://www.natcapsolutions.org/publications_files/BrittlePower/BrittlePower_Parts123.pdf|title=Brittle Power|pages=p. 146|author=Amory B. Lovins & L. Hunter Lovins|isbn=0-931790-49-2|publisher=Brick House Publishing Company]

The station had 2 reactors, each rated at 121 MWe, and generated nearly 60 TW·h of electricity during its operational life. On a typical day it could supply enough electricity to meet the needs of three towns the size of Chelmsford, Colchester and Southend put together.

Bradwell was built on the edge of a former World War II airfield, one and a half miles from the Essex coastline. Its location was deliberately chosen as the land had minimal agricultural value, offered easy access, was geologically sound and had an unlimited source of cooling water from the North Sea. In 1999, it was announced that the station would cease operation in 2002 - the first UK station to be closed on a planned basis.

This is one of the sites being considered by British Energy for redevelopment in a new round of nuclear reactors. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7115002.stm|title=British Energy eyes nuclear sites|publisher=BBC Online|date=27 November 2007]

References

External links

* [http://www.nuclearsites.co.uk/site.php?LocationID=4 British Nuclear Group]