Torness reactor shut down

The plant’s operators, EDF Energy, said this week that the 
incident was unplanned and the manual shutdown took place on Wednesday during routine maintenance.

The station’s director has issued a statement that said there were no safety, health or environmental impacts. This was the first unplanned shutdown at the site this year.

Paul Winkle, Torness Power Station director, said: “Whilst carrying out routine maintenance in the conventional turbine part of the plant there was an issue with a valve and our operations team took prompt action and manually shutdown the reactor, putting safety first.

“Cooling to the reactor was maintained at all times and there were no safety, health or environmental impacts. The reactor will be returned to power as soon as maintenance is satisfactorily completed.”

Torness power station’s two nuclear reactors generate enough electricity to power more than two million homes and started operating in 1988.

The station employs over 500 full-time staff and around 250 full-time contract partners.

It was recently announced that the power station had been given a seven year life extension securing hundreds of jobs for the area.

Paul Winkle, station director said at the time: “What we have demonstrated is that Torness will run safely and reliably through that period and generate enough electricity for about two million homes until 2030.

“Many of our workforce live in the local community. That workforce will continue to put money into the local community.”