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AGR
The second generation: enriched uranium in steel cladding, CO₂ at 40 bar and steam at 540 °C, the highest efficiency in the fleet.
The AGR improved on the Magnox with uranium enriched to 2.5 to 3.5% in stainless steel cladding, which allowed the gas temperature to rise to 640 °C and steam to be raised at the same conditions as a coal plant. Its boilers sit inside the prestressed concrete vessel.
Fourteen reactors were built at seven stations. Dungeness B, Hunterston B and Hinkley Point B closed between 2021 and 2022; Hartlepool and Heysham 1 close in 2027 and Heysham 2 and Torness in 2030. With them the gas-cooled reactor line in the United Kingdom comes to an end.
Quick facts
| Power | ≈ 550 to 660 MWe per reactor |
|---|---|
| Efficiency | ≈ 41% |
| Operating 2026 | Hartlepool, Heysham 1 and 2, Torness |
| Final closure | 2030 |