Oldest nuclear power stations to shut in UK

The world's two oldest commercial nuclear power stations, which are in Britain, are closing down on Sunday.

The world's two oldest commercial nuclear power stations, which are in Britain, are closing down on Sunday, the organisation which manages them said.

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Dungeness A in Kent, south-east England, and Sizewell A in Suffolk, eastern England, both first generation Magnox nuclear power stations, are being decommissioned because they are less efficient than larger plants.

In addition, a reprocessing facility at Sellafield in Cumbria, north-west England, which is used to make spent fuel from the plants safe, is closing in 2012.

Dungeness A started generating electricity in 1965, while Sizewell A become fully operational the following year.

Together, they provided more than one percent of Britain's total generating capacity.

A spokesman for British Nuclear Group (BNG), which manages nuclear sites and their clean-up, said that some 99 percent of radioactive material would be removed within the next three years and taken to Sellafield.

But final site clearance will take more than a century and is expected to be completed in 2110.

The closures come as Britain strives to clean up its old nuclear sites with a programme which could cost up to USD 137, according to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.