Hartlepool EDF nuclear reactor shut down after fault

EDF operates Hartlepool nuclear power station in Teesside

A nuclear reactor has been taken "offline" after a fault was discovered, its operator EDF has said.

Hartlepool power station's Reactor 2 was shut down after an "electrical system fault" was identified "over the weekend".

Residents should not see an impact to their electricity supply, the energy giant said.

Its first reactor is still in operation. The affected unit is due to come back online later this week.

EDF said on Tuesday the 590-megawatt Reactor 2 had been manually shut down to allow for repairs.

Hartlepool Power Station has two nuclear generators

The original cause of the unplanned outage was "an issue with a fuse", a company spokesperson told the BBC.

The company said they did not anticipate any power loss to the thousands of nearby homes, as their power comes from the wider national grid.

A planned statutory outage of Reactor 2 is scheduled to take place in July 2023.

In September, the power station was told to make safety improvements following an inspection by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR).

At the time, French-owned EDF said it took the safety of its sites "very seriously" and said it would work to "bring the site into compliance".

In March, EDF announced plans to extend the lives of the Hartlepool plant, keeping the site operational until early 2026.

About 730 full-time staff and contract workers work at the site, which was opened in 1983. It had been due to be decommissioned in 2024.