Sizewell B reactor offline for £75m improvements

Sizewell B has been generating electricity since 1995

A nuclear power station's reactor has temporarily gone offline as part of a £75m improvement plan.

Sizewell B Power Station on the Suffolk coast is undergoing works to "bring a big boost" to the local economy, according to EDF that runs the site.

Its nuclear reactor was taken offline on Friday for about eight weeks - a process that happens every 18 months for refuelling and other works to improve its efficiency.

Station director Robert Gunn said the outage would "bring in more than 1,000 extra staff to deliver more than 12,000 tasks".

"These outage periods are tremendously important for us," he explained.

"They allow us to examine our plant in a way we can't do when we are generating, and they give us the chance to complete major improvement projects."

During the outage, teams, as well as external local companies, will complete a number of tasks.

These include replacing giant rotors in one of the station's turbine generators, replacing about a third of the fuel assemblies in the reactor, and carrying out a detailed inspection of the reactor systems.

Station director Robert Gunn said there were hopes the site could continue generating power longer than planned

Sizewell B is the UK's only pressurised water reactor, and the high-pressure pipeline system will also be examined.

The reactor will be offline for about two months while the works are carried out.

Sizewell B started generating electricity in 1995 and, according to EDF, has generated more than 258 terawatt hours of electricity - enough to meet the electric needs of every home in Suffolk for more than 190 years.

Sizewell B's giant rotor within its turbine generators will be replaced as part of the improvement works

The station is currently due to generate until 2035, but Mr Gunn said there were "future plans to extend our lifetime out to 2055".

However, he added there was "no immediate need to make a final investment decision" due to the site generating until 2035 for now.

"As well as finalising the technical case, we are seeking greater cost certainty and confidence in the long-term commercial case to enable a final investment decision when ready," he added.