EDF Energy's nuclear stations at Hartlepool and Heysham, which have been out of operation since cracks were discovered in a boiler spine at Heysham 1, are likely to return to service at partial load towards the end of the year, according to recent reports.
The company was quoted as saying that two reactors at Hartlepool and one at Heysham, where cracks were not found, could likely return to service at 85-90% power. The plants would be operated at a lower level than that this winter, and would undergo extra outages next year before raising power levels.