Hinkley Point B transfers to NDA as Nuclear Restoration Services takes on decommissioning

Hinkley Point B nuclear power station in Somerset has transferred from EDF to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) for decommissioning, the NDA, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) announced on 1 October 2026.

The site will be managed by NDA subsidiary NRS, which is already decommissioning the neighbouring Hinkley Point A. According to the announcement, around 250 people working on site are transferring from EDF to NRS.

Licence and scope of work

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) said NRS assumed responsibility as site licensee for Hinkley Point B on 1 October following its approval. The regulator said its specialist inspectors had assessed NRS and that it was satisfied the company had demonstrated the capability and competence needed to hold the licence.

Tom Eagleton, ONR's Head of Safety for Decommissioning, Fuel and Waste sites, said of NRS: "we are satisfied it has the skills and capability to safely decommission the site".

ONR granted formal consent for the decommissioning project on 30 October 2025, after public consultation and assessment of EDF's environmental statement. That consent was given under the Nuclear Reactors (Environmental Impact Assessment for Decommissioning) Regulations 1999.

According to ONR, the work will involve dismantling and demolishing the plant and buildings, followed by site clearance and restoration. The regulator said it will continue to regulate safety and security across the site through a regular programme of inspections.

Preparation for transfer

The NDA said the handover followed five years of preparation involving government, the NDA group, EDF, ONR, the Environment Agency and the Nuclear Liabilities Fund.

Defuelling was completed on time and on budget, according to the announcement. Over three years, more than 4,900 elements of spent fuel were removed, packaged into transportable flasks by NDA subsidiary Nuclear Transport Solutions and taken to Sellafield for storage.

EDF says it signed a contract in June 2021 to defuel all seven Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) stations before their transfer to the NDA.

A rolling programme

Hinkley Point B is the second AGR site to move to the NDA, after Hunterston B in North Ayrshire transferred on 1 April 2026. ONR said it is the first such site in England to transfer from EDF to NRS.

The NDA said Dungeness B is planned to transfer before the end of the decade, with Hartlepool, Heysham 1, Heysham 2 and Torness to follow as they complete their generating lives. It has previously said its mission will expand to cover the decommissioning of all seven AGR stations.

NDA Group CEO David Peattie said the group was drawing on decades of expertise, "applying proven skills, innovation and experience to safely decommission the AGR fleet."

Station background

According to the NDA, Hinkley Point B was the first British-designed AGR to export electricity to the national grid, in 1976. ONR said the station reached the end of its operating life in August 2022 after nearly 46 years of generation, then moved into defuelling.

EDF puts the station's lifetime output at 311TWh of low carbon electricity. The NDA said that was enough to power every home in the South West of England for 33 years, and that the station generated more than £15bn of economic value to the UK between 1976 and 2024.

The announcement also pointed to the economic contribution of decommissioning work. Economic analysis estimated that Hinkley Point A contributed around £31 million in economic value for the local authority in 2024/25, rising to £61 million for the wider UK.

Hinkley Point A began generating in 1965, and Hinkley Point C is under construction on adjacent land.

What it means

The transfer adds a second station's dismantling, demolition and restoration work to the Hinkley location, with NRS decommissioning both the A and B sites. NRS CEO Rob Fletcher said the organisation looked forward to working across both sites to share experience and strengthen local capability.