General aerial view.

Description General aerial view.

Date 1992

Collection RCAHMS Aerial Photography

Catalogue Number SC 1684524

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of B 72207

Scope and Content Aerial view of Hunterston 'A' and Hunterston 'B' Nuclear Power Stations, North Ayrshire Hunterston 'A' nuclear power station, a magnox reactor (named after the magnesium alloy used to cover the fuel rods), was commissioned in 1955, designed 1955-7 and built 1957-64. It closed in 1990, and is being decommissioned, a process which may take up to 135 years. The two advanced gas cooled reactors at Hunterston 'B' went into operation in 1976 and 1977. This aerial view shows, on the left, Hunterston 'A' with its distinctive pair of glass-walled buildings with curving walls which house the reactors and steam-raising units. To the right can be seen Hunterston 'B' with its angular complex of buildings surmounted by a glass-walled section. Nuclear power stations use the vast amounts of energy produced by nuclear fission to heat water in boilers. This steam is then used to drive turbines which turn generators to produce electricity which is distributed via the National Grid. Hunterston 'A' nuclear power station has been selected as one of Scotland's key 20th-century Modern architectural monuments. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1684524

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap