Hinkley Point B power station: Have your say on permit changes

4 Jun 2025 10:20 AM

EDF Energy wants to change its existing radioactive substances environmental permit for the Hinkley Point B power station in Bridgwater, Somerset.

• EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Ltd has applied to the Environment Agency to make changes to parts of its radioactive substances environmental permit.
• Proposed permit changes would more accurately reflect the reducing radiological hazard and risks from Hinkley Point B.
• The consultation will close on 1 July 2025.

The Environment Agency is consulting on these specific permit application changes to give people the opportunity to understand the proposed changes and have their say on future decision making.

The permit controls the receipt and disposal of radioactive waste and imposes conditions and limits on radioactive discharges to the environment. 

Hinkley Point B’s advanced gas cooled reactors stopped generating power after 46 years in August 2022. It is currently in the defueling stage and working towards ‘Fuel Free Status’ before entering decommissioning. 

Sally Coble, the Environment Agency’s Nuclear Regulation Group south manager, said:

We have been working with EDF Energy on its application to vary parts of the environmental permit.

The company is proposing to remove some radionuclide limits in its permit because certain radioisotopes are no longer produced. The proposed changes would more accurately reflect the reducing radiological hazard and risks from Hinkley Point B

Our consultation is now open. We are encouraging people to learn more about the proposed changes and provide us with any information that they think is relevant to decision making.

How to have your say

The Environment Agency will carefully consider all the relevant feedback received during the consultation, together with existing information. Our decision will be available on the public register by September 2025. 

Our engagement with the community around the Hinkley site will continue through our own ‘Meet the Regulator’ meeting, the site stakeholder group and Hinkley C’s community forum.  

The application and other supporting documents are available for you to view on Citizen Space. 

The consultation started on Tuesday 3 June 2025 and closes on Tuesday 1 July 2025. 

Read about regulating Hinkley.

Background

• Hinkley Point B power station began generating power in 1976 using two Advanced Gas Cooled Reactors (AGR). During its lifetime it provided enough electricity to meet the need of every home in the UK for almost 3 years.
• One of the reactors (Reactor 4) was declared Fuel Free in September 2024 and it is anticipated that the remaining reactor (Reactor 3) will be declared fuel free by the end of 2025.
• Now the reactors are no longer operational and following defueling, certain radioisotopes are no longer produced. To reflect the current activities, EDF has applied to remove some radionuclide limits in its environmental permit.
• The proposed changes to the environmental permit would more accurately reflect the reducing radiological hazard and risks from Hinkley Point B and align with the current lifecycle stage.