Sizewell B Back In Action

30 September 2010, 17:13 | Updated: 30 September 2010, 17:15

Sizewell B power station came back online today generating enough low carbon electricity to serve 2 million homes.

EDF Energy took the decision to bring Sizewell B offline in March following the failure of some heaters in a component known as the pressuriser.

Repair work has now taken place to make it safe.

Jim Crawford, Sizewell B Station Director said: "Working within the EDF family of companies we have been able to draw on international expertise throughout this project. This has given us access to industry experts who, working closely with our local team, have been instrumental in bringing Sizewell B back to service."

The work carried out on repairs has been regularly monitored by the industry regulator the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII), part of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The HSE Nuclear Directorate gave its consent for the power station to restart. They undertook a significant programme of inspections and assessments and a summary of their work is provided on the HSE website which concludes "HSE Nuclear Directorate has sufficient confidence that the modifications to the pressuriser have been adequately conceived and executed and that the Sizewell B reactor is safe to operate".

The station employs more than 500 staff based on the Suffolk coast and contributes around £30million into the local economy every year.