Chapelcross site
Chapelcross was Scotland’s first commercial nuclear power station. It is located on the 92 hectare site of a World War 11 airfield in Dumfries and Galloway.
The site has been safely progressing through its decommissioning and hazard reduction phase since 2013.
The iconic cooling towers that dominated the landscape were demolished in 2007.
An eight-year project to remove 3,300 tonnes of asbestos from the turbine hall, four reactor buildings and external heat exchangers completed in 2015 – this paved the way for the 16 external heat exchangers to be dismantled.
Current priorities include the safe removal of redundant equipment from a processing plant and recovering intermediate level waste from the former cooling ponds.
Retrieved and processed radioactive waste packages are permanently stored on site in accordance with Scottish Government Policy.
Future plans
Plans to develop the site into a multi-million-pound green energy hub to drive growth in the local economy were announced in 2024. Read more about it at Masterplan Released for Chapelcross Green Energy Hub – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Use our interactive tool to find out more about the future of Chapelcross site
Monthly site siren test: first Wednesday of the month at 17.30 hrs apart from April, July and October where the test will be carried out at 10.00 hrs.
In pictures
Key facts
1955
Construction began
1959
Generation started
2004
Generation ended
2007
Cooling towers demolished
2009
Defueling started
2013
Defueling completed
60
Total output TWhrs
0 hectares
Land released for re-use
4
Number of reactors