Heysham power station breaks world record

Unit 8 at Heysham 2 beat the previous record held by a power plant in Canada.

Ontario Power Generation’s Pickering 7’s 894 day continuous run between April 26 1992 and October 7 1994 had lasted for 22 years.

John Munro, station director at Heysham 2, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and is testament to the professionalism of the team we have here at the station.

“This record comes in the station’s 28th year of operation which shows what can be done with a skilled team and targeted investment in the plant.

“Earlier this year we extended the operating life of Heysham 2 by seven years to 2030 and over the next 14 years I’d like us to be challenging our own new operating record.

EDF Energy CEO Vincent de Rivaz said: “Since the acquisition of the UK nuclear fleet in 2009, we have increased its output by 50%, safety performance by 51% and lifespan by 25%.

“The additional output we have achieved of 20TWh of power generation is 6% of the UK’s electricity needs.

“We have achieved that while dramatically improving the safety of our plants - last year we had our best ever performance.

“It is a great credit to our people working at the power stations all around the country. We have done it by investing in the power stations as part of our long-term, responsible approach.”

David Morris, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, congratulated staff at Heysham 2.

“Not only is this a great achievement but I know from visiting the station regularly the amount of work that goes into maintaining the station on a daily basis,” said Mr Morris.

“It is not only about continuous production but continuous production safety.”