Electric, Babcock International Group and Taylor Woodrow Construction, began in 1969. The construction was delayed in 1970, when the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate declared that they were unhappy with part of the station's boiler design, setting the CEGB back £25million. The station's reactors were supplied by the National Nuclear Corporation, and the station's generating sets by the General Electric Company. Some fourteen years into construction, the first of the station's two units were commissioned in 1983, the other in 1985. The station first generated electricity commercially on 1 August 1983. Nuclear fuel for Hartlepool power station is delivered and removed via a loading/unloading facility on a 1½ mile branch from the Durham Coast Line. 2013 turbine fire At 19:18 on 20 April 2013 a small fire broke out in the turbine hall of unit 2 at the power station while Reactor 2 was being brought back into service. The fire was caused by an oil leak, and ignited lagging surrounding part of the turbine. Reactor 2 was shut down and cooled, mitigating any threat of nuclear contamination. Emergency services attended the fire from stations across the Cleveland area and the fire was extinguished at 19:53. During the incident, fire cover in the Cleveland area was provided by units from Darlington and County Durham. Specification The station is of the advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR) type. It provides electricity for over 3% of the UK using two 1,575MWth advanced gas-cooled reactors to power two generators (590 MWe + 595 MWe), giving a maximum generating capacity of 1,320MW. The station's designed net electrical output is 1,185MW. This is enough electricity to power 1.5million homes. There are four 17.5MW auxiliary gas turbines on the site, these had first been commissioned in October 1973. Visitor centre In the 1980s, there was an interactive visitor centre on site. There was also an activity centre for school visits which hosted a number of special events. Tours of the power station itself also took place. The centre was closed after privatisation in the 1990s, but a new visitor centre was opened by current operators EDF Energy in 2013. This centre also hosts 'Crucial Crew' events for school pupils in the local areas. These experiences teach children about health and safety. Future of the station The power station was originally expected to shut down in 2009, but was given permission by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) for an extension of