Bradwell Power Station
Encyclopedia
Bradwell nuclear power station is a disused Magnox
power station
located on the Dengie peninsula
at the mouth of the River Blackwater, Essex
.
, Head Wrightson, C. A. Parsons & Co.
, A. Reyrolle & Co.
, Strachan & Henshaw
and Whessoe
and known as the Nuclear Power Plant Company ('NPPC'), began in December 1957 and electricity generation started in 1962. It had two Magnox
reactors producing 242 megawatts
(MW) net electrical in total. 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. The reactors were supplied by The Nuclear Power Group ('TNPG') and the turbines by C. A. Parsons & Co.
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. On 28 March 2002 Lord Braybrooke , Lord Lieutenant
of Essex
unveiled a plaque to mark the closure of electricity generation and the beginning of the decommissioning stage.
This is one of the sites being considered by British Energy
for redevelopment in a new round of nuclear reactors.
On 18 October 2010 the British government announced that Bradwell was one of the eight sites it considered suitable for future nuclear power stations.
On 23 June 2011 the British government announced that Bradwell was one of eight sites to be opened as nuclear facilities by 2025.
On 22 January 2011 a fire broke out in the decommissioning work as titanium rods were being broken up.
Magnox
Magnox is a now obsolete type of nuclear power reactor which was designed and is still in use in the United Kingdom, and was exported to other countries, both as a power plant, and, when operated accordingly, as a producer of plutonium for nuclear weapons...
power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
located on the Dengie peninsula
Dengie peninsula
Dengie is a peninsula in Essex, England, that once formed a hundred of the same name .The peninsula is formed by the River Crouch to the south, the Blackwater to the north, both of which are tidal, and the North Sea to the east...
at the mouth of the River Blackwater, Essex
River Blackwater, Essex
The River Blackwater is a river in England. It rises in the northwest of Essex as the River Pant and flows to Bocking, near Braintree, from where its name changes to the Blackwater. Its course takes it near Stisted, and then via Bradwell Juxta Coggeshall and Coggeshall and near Witham where it is...
.
History
Construction of the power station, which was undertaken by a consortium involving Clarke ChapmanClarke Chapman
Clarke Chapman is a British engineering firm based in Gateshead, which was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange.-History:The company was founded in 1864 in Gateshead by William Clarke...
, Head Wrightson, C. A. Parsons & Co.
C. A. Parsons and Company
C. A. Parsons and Company was a British engineering firm which was once one of the largest employers on Tyneside.-History:The Company was founded by Charles Algernon Parsons in 1889 to produce turbo-generators, his own invention. At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, the company was producing...
, A. Reyrolle & Co.
A. Reyrolle & Company
A. Reyrolle & Company was a British engineering firm, which for many years was one of the largest employers on Tyneside.-History:The company was founded by Alphonse Constant Reyrolle, a Frenchman, in 1886 at Fitzroy Square in London to produce scientific instruments. He moved the business to...
, Strachan & Henshaw
Strachan & Henshaw
Strachan & Henshaw was a major defence and nuclear engineering company based in Ashton Gate in Bristol.-History:The Company was founded by Robert Price Strachan & George Henshaw in 1879 as a partnership specialising in the manufacture of paper-bag making machinery operating from Lewin's Mead in...
and Whessoe
Whessoe
Whessoe was once one of the largest employers at Darlington and on Teesside in the North East England. It was a leading supplier of chemical, oil and nuclear plant and an international instrumentation business and remains a leading low temperature storage specialist.-History:The Whessoe Company...
and known as the Nuclear Power Plant Company ('NPPC'), began in December 1957 and electricity generation started in 1962. It had two Magnox
Magnox
Magnox is a now obsolete type of nuclear power reactor which was designed and is still in use in the United Kingdom, and was exported to other countries, both as a power plant, and, when operated accordingly, as a producer of plutonium for nuclear weapons...
reactors producing 242 megawatts
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
(MW) net electrical in total. On a typical day it could supply enough electricity to meet the needs of three towns the size of Chelmsford
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
, Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
and Southend
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
put together. The reactors were supplied by The Nuclear Power Group ('TNPG') and the turbines by C. A. Parsons & Co.
Bradwell was built on the edge of a former World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
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
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
.
In 1999, it was announced that the station would cease operation in 2002 - the first UK station to be closed on a planned basis. On 28 March 2002 Lord Braybrooke , Lord Lieutenant
Lord Lieutenant
The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representatives in the United Kingdom, usually in a county or similar circumscription, with varying tasks throughout history. Usually a retired local notable, senior military officer, peer or business person is given the post...
of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
unveiled a plaque to mark the closure of electricity generation and the beginning of the decommissioning stage.
This is one of the sites being considered by British Energy
British Energy
British Energy was the UK's largest electricity generation company by volume, before being taken over by Électricité de France in 2009. British Energy operated eight former UK state-owned nuclear power stations and one coal fired power station....
for redevelopment in a new round of nuclear reactors.
On 18 October 2010 the British government announced that Bradwell was one of the eight sites it considered suitable for future nuclear power stations.
On 23 June 2011 the British government announced that Bradwell was one of eight sites to be opened as nuclear facilities by 2025.
Safety record
In 1966, twenty natural uranium fuel rods were stolen from Bradwell. The rods were stolen by a worker, Harold Arthur Sneath for their scrap value. The theft was discovered by the local police, when the van transporting the rods to their final destination, driven by Dennis Patrick Hadley, was stopped due to its defective steering. The rods were recovered and in the subsequent court case Sneath and Hadley were bound over for five years, fined £100 each and were required to contribute to the costs of the court case. Neither were said to have understood the consequences of the theft.On 22 January 2011 a fire broke out in the decommissioning work as titanium rods were being broken up.