Britain closes 2 oldest nuclear plants

[Rich Parsons]

Britain closes 2 oldest nuclear plants

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061231/ap_on_re_eu/britain_nuclear_closedown

LONDON - The two oldest commercial nuclear power stations in the world were closed down Sunday after 40 years of service, the British Nuclear Group said.

Reactors at Dungeness A, southeast of London, and Sizewell A, in eastern England, were being shut down over a period of several hours, the group said in a statement. The reactors had reached the end of their life cycle and were less efficient than modern plants.

Britain's 23 nuclear power stations supply around 20 percent of the country's electricity — and all but one are due to be closed by 2023.

A little research at this site for US reactors: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/at_a_glance/reactors/palisades.html

With some of the older sites being about 30 year life expectancy but most of the newer ones are 40 year licences or life expectence or half life, this is not expected to have the "older" sites closed.