EDF confirm Lancashire power plant will continue for another five years

EDF has confirmed that its Lancashire power plant, Heysham, will continue for an extra five years.

The French energy giant said Heysham 1 in Lancashire and a plant in Hartlepool, both due to be decommissioned in 2019, will continue.

Heysham 2 and Torness in Scotland will have extensions of seven years to 2030.

The move will safeguard more than 2,000 direct jobs and some 1,000 contractors at the sites, which provide electricity for a quarter of British homes.

EDF, which is 85% owned by the French government, announced the extensions as it reported a 68% fall in profits last year and cut its annual dividend.

The company said it was committed to being the UK's leading investor in low-carbon electricity, adding in a statement:

Campaigners against Hinkley said the further delay in announcing a final decision cast doubt on the project.

Greenpeace policy director Doug Parr said:

There was industry speculation that a final decision was being held back over assurances being sought by the Chinese over the technology to be used at a planned new nuclear power station at Bradwell in Essex.

EDF said the decision to extend generation at four of its eight UK plants followed:

EDF has agreed a deal in principle for the £18 billion Hinkley project under which China General Nuclear Power Corporation will pay a third of the cost.Reports have suggested the company is struggling to find the cash for its stake.

Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB union, said:

Dr Richard Dixon, director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said:

Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: