goingcritical:hinkley-point-c-1United Kingdom · Power reactor
Hinkley Point C-1
Status: Under construction target criticality 2030 (confidence: medium) Reactor status full glossary → Announced Publicly announced — a site and design are proposed, but construction has not begun. Site preparation Early site and civil works are under way; the first safety-related ("nuclear") concrete has not yet been poured. Under construction Formal construction has begun, marked by the first nuclear concrete. Fuel loaded Nuclear fuel has been loaded into the core. The reactor is fuelled but has not yet gone critical. Critical Has reached first criticality — a self-sustaining chain reaction, usually at low power — but is not yet connected to the grid. Grid connected Synchronised to the electrical grid and exporting power for the first time, but still in commissioning and power-ascension testing — not yet in commercial service. In commercial operation — the operator has formally declared the unit in regular commercial service. Shut down Permanently shut down and no longer generating; may be defuelled, undergoing decommissioning, or preserved in place. Canceled Abandoned before completion.
Site: Bridgwater, Somerset
First new nuclear power station under construction in the UK since Sizewell B
EDF 2025 annual results (February 2026) set start of electricity production for unit 1 in 2030, a 12-month slip from the 2029 best case announced in January 2024
Details
| Design | EPR |
| Electrical output | 1,630 MWe |
Milestone history
- Announced —
- Construction start December 2018
- Fuel load —
- First criticality target 2030
- Grid connection —
- Commercial operation —