HINKLEY Point B nuclear power plant has a new boss.

Mike Davies, who has worked there for more than 18 years, has taken over as station director.

He had previously worked in the station's chemistry team, its operations department and has recently been steering the station’s preparations for defuelling, the next stage of the plant’s life cycle.

That phase begins late in 2022 after Hinkley Point B's two reactors are switched off for the final time next summer.

Mike and his predecessor Peter Evans recently jointly oversaw the preparations for, and then return to power of, Hinkley Point B’s Reactor 4, which has been off for a round of inspections of its core before resuming generating electricity for the final time.

Mr Davies said: “Hinkley Point B is a wonderful place to work and I’m honoured to have been chosen by EDF to steer the station over the coming years.

"I'm incredibly grateful for everything Peter has done to get Hinkley to the point it’s at now and for how much he’s taught me about effective management of this unique facility.

“Over the next year we have a huge amount of work to do. I’m determined we run the reactors safely, and effectively, over the next few months.

"We then need to carefully shut them down while we also celebrate the enormous achievements that our teams here, and all those that came before them, have made over more than 46 years of generating.

"Then we need to turn our attention to defuelling this site as safely, effectively and efficiently as possible."

Mr Evans spent six years as station director. During that time, he raised tens of thousands of pounds for company charities and oversaw the station through a remarkable period of generation.

The station still tops the UK nuclear fleet league table for the amount of electricity it has produced over its lifetime.

He said: “My time at Hinkley Point B has been some of the happiest of my career.

"The people at Hinkley Point B are some of the loveliest, most welcoming people I’ll ever have the privilege of meeting.

“I will also never forget the remarkable efforts the team at Hinkley Point B has made since I took over. I’ve always known that I could depend completely on the remarkable family of nuclear professionals at Hinkley Point B to do what was required."