Calder Hall nuclear power station

Calder Hall Nuclear Power Station was a big power plant in Cumbria, in North West England. It was built on the same place as the famous Sellafield site. Calder Hall was very special because it was the first big nuclear power station to start working in the whole Western world. It had a twin plant called Chapelcross in Scotland.

Both Calder Hall and Chapelcross were run by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. Their main job was to make special material for the UK's nuclear weapons programme, but they also made electricity for people's homes through the National Grid.

The plant stopped working in 2005 and is now being taken apart. By the year 2027, only the important parts that keep radiation safe will stay. After that, the site will be looked after carefully until it is completely cleaned up.

Description

In 1952, the UK Government decided to build nuclear power stations, and work on Calder Hall began the next year. It was designed by Christopher Hinton, Baron Hinton of Bankside.

Calder Hall was built in two parts. The first part, called the A station, had two reactors that made steam to power four small machines that created electricity. The reactors used special materials and were cooled by a gas called carbon dioxide. Later, two more cooling towers were added to help keep everything running safely. The design of Calder Hall was also used for another plant called Chapelcross.

History

Calder Hall was built near an existing site called Windscale and needed extra space, so it was expanded across a river. It was named after a nearby farm and had special bridges to connect to the old site. The building had two main parts, each with its own turbine hall and cooling towers.

Construction started in 1953 and finished in 1956. The main goal was to create materials for the UK's nuclear weapons, with electricity as a side benefit. Queen Elizabeth II opened it in October 1956. Originally run by the UK government, it later came under different management.

The plant was supposed to close after 20 years, but it kept running longer, even with some shutdowns. It finally closed in 2003 after almost 47 years of use. Taking it apart began in 2005, and the cooling towers were safely removed in 2007. By 2019, all the used fuel was moved for processing. Plans are to fully clear the site by 2027, leaving only the main buildings behind for safe storage.