Heysham nuclear plants' lifespan to be extended

Facility overlooks Steam Packet's berth in Heysham

The lifespan of the Heysham 2 nuclear power plant is to be extended for two years until 2030.

The facility at the port of Heysham in Lancashire was scheduled to cease production in 2028. Meanwhile the older Heysham 1 plant will continue to generate electricity for an extra year until 2027

The two plants, which overlook the Steam Packet's berth at the port, are the closest nuclear facilities to the Isle of Man after the Sellafield re-processing plant in Cumbria.

The extensions have been announced by the plant's French operators EDF Energy.

Heysham 1 started generating in 1983 followed by Heysham 2 five years later.

The decision to extend the life of the Heysham plants, along with other nuclear facilities at Hartlepool and Torness in Scotland, has been welcomed by the National Energy Systems Operator - a new body responsible for connecting generation projects to the UK grid.

The four plants operated by EDF employ around 3,000 people and produce enough power for 4.5 million homes in the UK.