five years in 2007, meaning that it could continue to generate until 2014. In 2010, the lifetime was further extended by another five years, so that generation can continue until 2019. The company then began work to extend station lifetime to 2024 and beyond, and an announcement was made in November 2013 that the plant would have a further extension to its operating life of 5 years taking the expected decommissioning date to 2024. The 2024 closure was reaffirmed in 2022. Closing the station would reduce the available reactive power in the local grid by 200 MVAr. New station In July 2008, the plant's then-operator British Energy, suggested that the site would be a good location for a replacement nuclear power station. Then a year later in July 2009, the UK government named Hartlepool on a list of eleven sites in England and Wales, where new nuclear power stations could be built. On 9 November 2009, the government announced that ten of these sites, including Hartlepool, had been given the go-ahead for the construction of new reactors. If built, the station would use reactors capable of generating 1,800MW each. It would cost between £5billion and £6billion to construct, would employ up to 3,000 construction workers for the possible eight-year construction period, as well as providing 600 full-time jobs once completed. The new station has an anticipated operating life of 60 years. The plans are opposed by environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth and Stop New Nuclear. See also Nuclear power in the United Kingdom Energy policy of the United Kingdom Energy use and conservation in the United Kingdom References External links Hartlepool, Nuclear Engineering International wall chart, 1969 A selection of over a hundred images showing the building of the power station submitted by a local who worked at the site during its construction Buildings and structures in the Borough of Hartlepool Nuclear power stations using Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors Power stations in North East England 1983 establishments in England Nuclear power stations in England Nuclear power stations with proposed reactors