EDF rules out extending Hinkley Point B's lifetime to deal with energy shortages
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Hinkley Point B has been in operation since 1976
Energy giant EDF has ruled out delaying the closure of Hinkley Point B nuclear power station, after the government suggested its use could be extended.
Culture minister Chris Philp said on Monday that the Somerset facility's lifetime "might continue".
The comments came amid concerns the war in Ukraine could disrupt gas supplies to power stations across Europe.
But EDF said the defueling of Hinkley B would begin by August, as it had "confirmed" previously.
The UK relies on Norway for around a third of its natural gas supplies.
It is feared that if, following its invasion of Ukraine, Russia cuts off pipelines to the EU, Norway could divert some of its supplies away from the UK, causing shortages.
As a contingency, the government has asked the owners of the UK's remaining coal-fired power stations to keep them open for longer than previously planned.
The BBC also reported on Monday that energy firm Centrica was in talks with ministers about reopening a large gas storage facility in Rough, Yorkshire, to boost reserves ahead of winter.
And, speaking to Times Radio, Mr Philp said Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng was looking at extending the life of Hinkley Point B, in operation since 1976.
"That's a sensible precautionary measure, given that gas supply coming out of Russia and Ukraine is, for obvious reasons, so heavily disrupted and we do, of course, use quite a lot of gas to generate electricity," he added.
But a memo to EDF staff, seen by the Financial Times, external, says that, while an operational extension would be "technically feasible", the time needed to set this up has "now run out".
'Most productive site'
A spokesman for the company said: "As confirmed in November 2020, Hinkley Point B nuclear power station will stop generating and move into the defueling phase by 1 August, 2022.
"It has reliably produced zero-carbon electricity for over 46 years, more than 15 years longer than envisaged when built, and will complete its generating phase as the most productive nuclear site the UK has ever had."
The decommissioning of Hinkley Point B is expected to take three years.
A government spokesman said: "Any extensions to operational dates for the UK's nuclear power stations are a matter for the operator of the stations, EDF and the regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), which are based on safety considerations.
"The government has no direct involvement in this process and has not made any requests of this kind."
An ONR spokesperson said that extending the life of any nuclear power station would "need a robust safety case produced by the operator to demonstrate that the plant is safe to run for any extended period".
The government's energy strategy, published last month, contains an ambition to deliver up to eight new nuclear reactors before 2030, including two at Sizewell in Suffolk.