The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Springfields’ Salute to the Magnox Era

06 October 2008

 

As the focus in England and Wales turns to future energy requirements and the Government’s support for a new build programme, Springfields Fuels Ltd has taken the opportunity to produce a brochure commemorating the Magnox power station era.

Thirteen Magnox Power Stations were built, 11 in the UK (all now under NDA ownership), one at Latina in Italy and one at Tokai Mura in Japan.

It was back in 1946 when Springfields which is located near Preston in Lancashire was named as the site for uranium processing in the UK. The uranium was used for the Windscale reactors in Cumbria and it was intended the site would have an important role in the future of the civil nuclear programme.

Subsequently the Government announced the Magnox nuclear programme and in June 1955 the site began casting fuel rods for Calder Hall, the world’s first full scale nuclear power station which opened a year later. The name Magnox originates from the magnesium alloy used as a casing for the fuel rods.

One Magnox fuel element which is about a metre long produced the same amount of electricity as 150 tonnes of coal.

To meet demand new manufacturing facilities were built and opened by Her Majesty the Queen in 1958, the same year as BOAC launched the first jet passenger service across the Atlantic and Elvis Presley was drafted to the US Army.

For nearly 30 years the Magnox Plants – the “New Works” as they were known locally – operated efficiently though largely unchanged over the years other than having increased capacity to meet market demand for fuel and the upgrading of instrumentation.

As Concorde made its first landing at Heathrow airport, the two millionth Magnox fuel element was produced at Springfields in 1970 and the following year the largest of the UK’s Magnox power stations – Wylfa on Anglesey – started operating.

As the three millionth fuel element was produced in 1979, Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister and six years later visited Springfields.

Eddie the Eagle and the start of work on the Channel tunnel were top news stories when the four millionth element was produced in 1988.

Having reached the end of their lifespan the Magnox stations began to close from 1989 and supplies of uranium metal were stockpiled at Springfields to ensure enough material was available to meet the needs of the few remaining stations. The Billet Plant on the site closed in February 2006.

In May 2008 the final Magnox element destined for Wylfa power station was produced bringing to an end 53 years of uninterrupted fuel production. It is estimated that the Magnox stations during their lifetime have generated over 1220TWh of electricity, equivalent to burning over 306 million tonnes of coal.

The full brochure – The Magnox Story – is available at the following weblink

http://www.nuclearsites.co.uk/page.php?pageID=519

or in hard copy from

Alan Beauchamp
Employee & Media Communications
Springfields Fuels Limited
Westinghouse
Springfields
Preston
PR4 0XJ

Tel: 01772 762841

alan.beauchamp@springfieldsfuels.com