Through construction, generation and defueling, Hunterston B power station has been part of the North Ayrshire community for almost 60 years. 

While Hunterston B has a proud history of making electricity, it is the people that have made the site so successful. The station has been a vital employer in the local area for decades, directly supporting the livelihoods of thousands of people and many more through our supply chain. 

At every stage in the station's lifecycle, it is vital that we have the right number of people, with the right skills, to carry out this important work. 

Moving from generation to defueling in 2022 was a big change and we adapted our organisational structure accordingly. This change was managed with no compulsory redundancies. and everyone who wanted to stay working at the site through defueling secured a role. 

Defueling activities continue to progress well and, once complete, the station and its staff will transfer from EDF to Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) who will be responsible for decommissioning the site. NRS already manages the Hunterston A site. 

The structure and staffing levels will change again for the next stage of decommissioning as the requirements are different. We have been working closely with NRS, and our associated trade unions, since the station ended generation in 2022 to understand what skills will be needed and what jobs will be available at this stage. 

Over the past few days we have shared this information with staff. I know they have been waiting for this information and have questions so I have been talking to everyone on site to help them understand what roles and opportunities are available in the new structure. 

The new station organisational structure, which we expect to implement sometime in 2026, shows 244 staff roles. This is a reduction of less than a third from the current headcount and there are a number of options open to staff which means there may not be any compulsory redundancies.

We will continue to work with our regulators throughout the change. Over the coming months we will be working hard to give people certainty by matching staff to roles in the new structure. 

We will also be talking to them about options like retirement or voluntary redundancy with enhanced terms while continuing to support employees applying for opportunities elsewhere in EDF.

Through ongoing informal consultation with staff we know that these options are attractive to some people and we will look to meet aspirations where possible. 

This process is similar to the one we took staff through before the end of generation, as we prepared for defueling. While this process will be familiar it may still be a period of uncertainty for some and we will continue to do everything we can to support our people. 

I, like the majority of the Hunterston B workforce, live locally. I am part of this community and I understand the importance of local jobs so, with the support of my management team, I am committed to ensuring that this process ends with a positive outcome for as many people as possible, while preparing the site for safe and successful decommissioning. 

Joe Struthers

Station Director, Hunterston B