Bradwell nuclear power station

Bradwell nuclear power station stands on the Dengie peninsula at the mouth of the River Blackwater in Essex. It was built on land once used by RAF Bradwell Bay, a Second World War airfield 2.4 kilometres from the Essex coastline. The site was chosen for its flat, low-value ground, easy access and plentiful cooling water from the North Sea. Two Magnox reactors were installed, designed to produce 300 MW of electricity, later reduced to 242 MW after steel components inside the reactors showed signs of breakaway oxidation. The plant supplied enough power for towns such as Chelmsford, Colchester and Southend during its peak years in the early 1960s. The station is worth visiting because it was the first in the UK to enter long-term decommissioning in 2019. All spent nuclear fuel was removed by 2005 and the turbine hall demolished in 2011. By 2016 underground waste vaults had been emptied and decontaminated. Demolition of all buildings except the ponds and two reactor buildings was completed in 2019, with final clearance planned between 2083 and 2093. In 2015 the British and Chinese governments agreed that China General Nuclear Power Group would lead construction of a new 3 GW station using the Hualong One design. Visitors find the two large reactor buildings still standing, surrounded by the flat Essex marshes and the Blackwater estuary. The remaining ponds and reactor buildings form a stark industrial landscape against the natural backdrop. Nearby RAF Bradwell Bay airfield retains its wartime runways and perimeter tracks, now used by walkers and birdwatchers. The site’s decommissioning process is visible in the cleared areas and the absence of most former structures. The Michael Morpurgo story Homecoming recalls the building of the original power station, adding a literary connection to the scene.