The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

04 April 2012

After over 40 years of safe operation, Wylfa Site's Reactor 2 will finish generating electricity on the 30 April, in line with the station's agreed operating plan.

Since it opened in 1971, Wylfa has generated over 200TWh (terawatt hours) of electricity.

The decision to close Reactor 2 was taken because limited fuel stocks do not allow for the continued operation of both reactors. Wylfa received its final delivery of Magnox fuel in December 2011.

Efforts will now focus on optimising generation on Reactor 1, which is allowed to operate until 2014. A decision by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) on the transfer of partially used fuel from Reactor 2 to Reactor 1 is expected in the Summer.

Stuart Law, Wylfa Site Director, said:

"Reactor 2 has operated safely over the last four decades and this is a credit to the workforce who have maintained and operated the site in a safe and compliant manner. We can confirm that it will be shutdown on the 30 April and we will now focus on continued generation for Reactor 1.  

"I would like to thank everyone who has been involved with the operation of Reactor 2 at Wylfa during its lifetime."

Brian Burnett, Head of Programme for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which owns the site, said:

"Wylfa has a long and proud history of safe electricity generation. Our thanks go to the Magnox workforce, who have been committed to maximising the reactor's generating life beyond its original planned closure date. The income generated by the plant's operation has been extremely valuable in supporting the NDA's mission to decommission the UK's first generation of civil nuclear sites.

"We will continue to support efforts to maximise the operating life of Reactor 1 within the currently agreed timeframe."

Wylfa, which is operated by Magnox Ltd, a company owned by EnergySolutions, is the only Magnox site still generating electricity, following the closure of Oldbury Power Station on 29 February 2012. It is also the largest and last reactor of its type to be built in the UK.