It's not the power...

8:10am Friday 18th July 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

British Energy has said the return to service of its Heysham 1 reactor may take longer than first thought.

The nuclear power station – and a similar unit at Hartlepool - has been out of action since last autumn after wire corrosion issues were identified within boiler units.

But now chairman Sir Adrian Montague has told shareholders that the sites may not return until October, November or December.

They were due to return to action this summer.

More than one million man hours have been spent on the issue, including the inspection and assessment of the wire windings on all 32 boiler closure units at the two locations.

In May, British Energy said the loss of Hartlepool and Heysham meant total output for the financial year to March 31 was unchanged at 58.4 terawatt hours.

The issue cost the company £20 million in the previous financial year, as well as forcing it to buy power elsewhere to meet its contractual obligations.