Torness power station maintenance boosts local business

/ 11 April 2024 / 0 Comments

A programme of work is underway at Torness power station bringing a boost to the East Lothian economy.

One of the station’s two units (Unit 1) has been taken offline for a major maintenance programme called a statutory outage. This planned 10 week outage is like an MOT for the unit, allowing work to be carried out that cannot take place while the reactor is at power.

At its peak, around 800 additional workers will join the 750 strong site team to deliver this outage, supporting local business as they stay in the area’s hotels, B&Bs and caravan parks and eat in restaurants.

During the outage workers will carry out more than 12,500 separate pieces of work – each carefully planned during the last two years of preparation. Some of the largest jobs include turbine rotor exchange, gas circulator exchanges and inspections, graphite core inspections and generator load switch replacement.

Station Director, Paul Forrest, said: “This £40m maintenance programme supports our ambition to make sure Torness remains a top performing station that can continue to support the UK’s net zero goals.

“This will be the 25th statutory outage we have carried out at the station. We are very well practised at them and over the years, we have built great relationships with the extra workers who come and support us during the outages. These workers will be staying in local hotels and B&Bs, eating in the area’s restaurants and using taxi firms. It is great that our investment in the power station can also benefit our local community.”

EDF carries out a statutory outage on each of its reactors every three years. These are planned in advance with the National Grid to ensure that there is no impact on the national electricity supply. The other reactor at Torness is due to continue operating normally throughout the period.

Over its lifetime Torness has generated enough zero carbon electricity to power every home in Scotland for 29 years and the amount of carbon avoided, compared to gas generation, is the equivalent of taking every car off Scotland’s roads for 20 years.

Employer

EDF Energy

EDF is leading the transition to a cleaner, low emission electric future, tackling climate change and helping Britain achieve Net Zero. We are Britain’s biggest generator of zero carbon electricity. Our fleet of nuclear power stations have generated enough low carbon electricity to supply all homes in the UK for more than 19 years. EDF is leading the UK's nuclear renaissance with the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C, and plans for a new power station at Sizewell C in Suffolk. Nuclear power is the most reliable, low-carbon energy source currently available to the UK. EDF is playing a key role in the development of nuclear sites, while Hinkley Point C will provide low-carbon electricity to meet 7% of the UK demand. The project is already making a positive impact on the local and national economy as well as boosting skills and education.