Magnox Ltd is a nuclear decommissioning Site Licence Company (SLC) controlled by Reactor Sites Management Company, its designated Parent Body Organisation (PBO). It operates under contract for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, a government body set up specifically to deal with the nuclear legacy under the Energy Act 2004.
Magnox Ltd is responsible for the operation and decommissioning of ten Magnox nuclear power stations in the United Kingdom. The ten sites are Berkeley, Bradwell, Chapelcross, Dungeness A, Hinkley Point A, Hunterston A, Oldbury, Sizewell A, Trawsfynydd and Wylfa.[1] All the sites have ceased production with the exception of Oldbury and Wylfa, which are both due to stop generating in 2012. In addition, as part of the Wylfa unit, Magnox Ltd operates a hydro-electric power station at Maentwrog.
The only Magnox power station in the UK not managed by Magnox Ltd is Calder Hall, which is part of the Sellafield site and is controlled by another SLC, Sellafield Ltd.
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Magnox Ltd is the successor company to Magnox Electric, which was created in 1996 to take ownership of the Magnox assets from Nuclear Electric and Scottish Nuclear. The remaining nuclear power stations of these two companies, seven advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR) sites and one pressurized water reactor (PWR) site, were transferred to a separate company, British Energy, which was then privatised in 1996. In January 1998 Magnox Electric came under the control of another government-owned company, British Nuclear Fuels, operating as BNFL Magnox Generation.[2]
Following the reorganisation of the UK nuclear industry in 2005 ownership of BNFL's Magnox sites transferred to the newly created Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). BNFL created a new subsidiary, Reactor Sites Management Company (RSMC), to manage Magnox Electric on behalf of the NDA. In June 2007, BNFL sold RSMC to the newly-formed US company EnergySolutions.[3]
On 1 October 2008, Magnox Electric was split into two companies based on the locations of the sites. Magnox North became the operator of Chapelcross, Hunterston A, Oldbury, Trawsfynydd and Wylfa. Magnox South became and operator of Berkeley, Bradwell, Dungeness, Hinkley Point A and Sizewell A.[4] Both companies continuted to be managed by RSMC.
In January 2011 to reduce costs and to help extend best practices across all sites, it was decided to reverse the split with Magnox North and Magnox South recombining as Magnox Ltd.[5]
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