Sellafield (Candu) nuclear power plant — United Kingdom
Nuclear power plant in Cumbria, United Kingdom. Approximate location 54.4224, -3.4868.
NuclearCumbriaUnited KingdomCANDUpressurized heavy water reactorCancelled
Sellafield (Candu) nuclear power plant is a 1,480 MW nuclear power station in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It ranks #28 of 2,860 United Kingdom power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, nuclear supplies about 12.4% of United Kingdom's electricity; the national grid averages 217 gCO₂/kWh (64.4% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_nuc_sellafieldcandu_unite.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM Global Nuclear Power Tracker September 2025 unit-status sum (cancelled); fuel: GEM GNPT
In context: how this plant compares
At 1,480 MW, Sellafield (Candu) nuclear power plant is well above the median nuclear plant in United Kingdom (965 MW). Technically it is described as pressurized heavy water reactor. Its current lifecycle status is “Cancelled” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. Nuclear plants split uranium to raise steam with no direct CO₂; they run as steady baseload with very high capacity factors and the longest operating lifetimes of any thermal plant.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
How it compares & nearby plants
The #5 largest nuclear power plant of 25 in United Kingdom by capacity.
United Kingdom has 25 nuclear power plants in this dataset, together about 27,683 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Sellafield (Hitachi) nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 622 MW · Cumbria
- Fellside CHP · Cogeneration · 155 MW · England
- Calder Hall nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 240 MW · Cumbria
- Windscale AGR nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 36 MW · Cumbria
- Cumbria nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 940 MW · Cumbria
- Moorside Clean Energy Hub nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 3,200 MW · Cumbria
Location
Coordinates 54.4224, -3.4868 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Sellafield (Candu) nuclear power plant?
Sellafield (Candu) nuclear power plant is a 1,480 MW nuclear power plant in Cumbria, United Kingdom.