Calder Hall's Turbine Hall B Is Next to Come Down Sellafield Lodges Plans to Demolish Calder Hall's Turbine Hall B
Marra Mode is how we'd tell you this in the Co-op. Switch it off for the straight version.
Calder Hall's just turned 70, and Sellafield wants to knock down another big chunk of it. Turbine Hall B could start coming down next month.
If you live or work round Sellafield or Seascale, or you remember Calder Hall when it was still making electricity, here's the latest. Sellafield wants to demolish Turbine Hall B, one of the big old buildings at the station.
The paperwork went to Cumberland Council and was validated on 14 October, just days before Calder Hall turned 70. The Queen opened it on 17 October 1956. It's all part of clearing out buildings Sellafield doesn't need any more, so the space can be used again. According to the News & Star, a firm called Amentum Clean Energy has already been handed a £14.85 million contract for the job, done in five stages. The plans say work would start on 14 November and could run as late as November 2031.
Inside, it's full of old generating kit in a steel frame on a concrete base, with walls partly clad in asbestos-cement sheets. They'd strip the kit out, check what waste there is, then bring the building down with a big wheeled digger, leaving the concrete base and drains until they know what the land's for next. Sellafield says it'll "release a significant land area for reuse".
Calder Hall made electricity for 47 years, until March 2003. All 40,000 fuel rods have come out since, and it was declared fuel-free in 2019. Sellafield boss Euan Hutton put it like this: "We are safely decommissioning the station and reducing hazards. This creates space we need to support Sellafield's future mission."
The council now has to decide whether it needs to formally approve the plans. If you want a look, search 4/26/2322/0F1 on the Cumberland Council planning pages.
Days after Calder Hall's 70th anniversary, Sellafield Ltd has asked Cumberland Council about demolishing Turbine Hall B, a redundant building at the old power station, in work expected to run from November 2026 to November 2031.
This is for people who live and work around Sellafield and Seascale, and for anyone who remembers Calder Hall as a working power station. Sellafield Ltd has lodged a prior notification with Cumberland Council for the demolition of Turbine Hall B at Calder Hall.
The application was validated on 14 October, days before the 70th anniversary of the station's opening by Queen Elizabeth II on 17 October 1956. It is part of the Calder Land Clearance Project, which removes redundant buildings to free up space. The News & Star reports that a procurement notice published on 1 October shows Amentum Clean Energy Limited was awarded a £14.85 million contract for five phases of the demolition, running from 30 September 2026 to 9 September 2028. The application itself gives an expected start of 14 November 2026 and completion by 14 November 2031.
According to the application, the hall holds redundant electricity generation equipment inside a steel-framed structure on a concrete raft, clad in masonry and asbestos-cement sheeting. Equipment would be removed and waste assessed before the building is taken down to its concrete base with a wheeled excavator. Foundations and drainage would stay until a future use for the land is decided. Sellafield says the work will "release a significant land area for reuse".
Calder Hall's four reactors generated electricity for 47 years until March 2003. All 40,000 fuel rods have since been removed, and the station was confirmed fuel-free in 2019. Sellafield chief executive Euan Hutton said: "We are safely decommissioning the station and reducing hazards. This creates space we need to support Sellafield's future mission."
The council has been asked to decide whether prior approval is needed. You can view the application, reference 4/26/2322/0F1, on the planning pages of the Cumberland Council website.