Sizewell nuclear power stations

Sizewell nuclear power stations are two nuclear power stations located near the small fishing village of Sizewell in Suffolk, England. Sizewell A, with two magnox reactors, is now in the process of being decommissioned, while Sizewell B has a single pressurised water reactor and is the UK's newest nuclear power station. A third power station is planned.

Sizewell A

Site

The site of Sizewell A occupies 245 acres (99 hectares) north of Sizewell. It is on a low plateau above flood level. The geological foundation comprises Norwich Crag Formation and Red Crag Formation bedrock of Pleistocene age above Eocene London Clay. The Crag deposits predominantly consist of medium dense and dense sands with thin layers of clay and silt and fossiliferous shelly horizons. The Crag strata extend to a depth of 200 feet (60 metres) below ground level.

The site is reached by road, with the nearest railhead about one mile inland at Sizewell Halt. Sidings were installed at the railhead primarily to transport irradiated elements to the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority plant at Sellafield, Cumbria.

Sizewell

Coordinates: 52°12′25″N 1°37′12″E / 52.207°N 1.620°E / 52.207; 1.620

Sizewell is a small fishing village in the English county of Suffolk, England. It is located on the North Sea coast just north of the larger holiday village of Thorpeness and between the coastal towns of Aldeburgh and Southwold. It is 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the town of Leiston and is located within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB. It is the site of two nuclear power stations with plans for the third station to be built at the site.

The village was part of the Ogilvie estate, which extended as far south as Aldeburgh. Sizewell Hall, now used as a Christian conference centre, is still owned by the Ogilvie family. From the end of the war up to 1955 it housed a mixed, semi-progressive prep school attended by, among others, the theatre critic and biographer Sheridan Morley.

Sizewell is part of the parish of Leiston and retains a few basic services associated with tourism, including a refreshment kiosk and a public house. A handful of fishing boats still operate from the beach.