Torness is Scotland’s last operating nuclear station and one of the most visually distinctive industrial sites on the North Sea coast.
AGREast LothianScotlandCommissioned 1988
Site imageOperational
Torness Nuclear Power StationTorness viewed across the harbour defences on the East Lothian coast.
Image credit: Lisa Jarvis / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
AGRTechnical views
Advanced gas-cooled reactor sequence showing graphite moderation, the CO₂ coolant loop, steam raising and turbine generation.
Indicative coastal layout showing the reactor island, turbine hall, intake and outfall structures, switchyard and supporting site systems.
Indicative station-form view showing the principal structures and site massing associated with this station type.
Station map context
OpenStreetMap view showing the actual atlas coordinate for Torness, with a wider local view and a closer site-focused view.
Wider location
This view places the station in its surrounding district, coast or industrial corridor.
Approx. coordinate used: 55.968, -2.404
Closer site view
This tighter map makes the specific site position much clearer for the station record.
Marker placed on the stored station coordinate in the atlas dataset.
Reference snapshot
StatusOperational
FuelNuclear
TechnologyAGR
Capacity1,200 MW
Commissioned1988
ClosedNot stated
RegionEast Lothian
NationScotland
OwnerEDF Energy
OperatorEDF Energy
Why it matters
Scotland’s remaining nuclear station
AGR
Currently due to generate until March 2030
This summary focuses on the key facts that explain the station’s role in the wider UK generation system.
Station timeline
These timeline entries highlight the main milestones for the site, including commissioning, major changes, closure and current status where relevant.
1988Commissioned
Entered service as part of the British civil nuclear programme.
2025Current fleet
Counted within the operating UK nuclear fleet in EDF’s 2026 fleet update.
2026Present role
EDF states this station is currently due to generate until March 2030, subject to ongoing review.
Reading the landscape
Power-station siting reflects engineering requirements, fuel and water logistics, grid access, industrial geography and the planning frameworks of the period in which the site was developed. Torness should therefore be read as part of a wider infrastructure system rather than as an isolated structure in the landscape.
Approx. coordinates: 55.968, -2.404
Source notes
Operational fleet context uses EDF’s January 2026 fleet update. Magnox and legacy clean-up context uses NDA / Nuclear Restoration Services site portfolios.
Capacities and years in this historical reference layer are simplified reference figures and should be checked against primary records where exact regulatory or reporting precision is required.
Gallery notes
These notes highlight the main structures, layout characteristics and historic changes associated with the station. They are intended as a concise interpretive layer alongside the reference data, timeline and technical diagrams.
Reactor typology
Magnox, AGR, PWR and EPR each imply different buildings, containment forms, fuel systems and visual signatures.
Landscape logic
Coastal siting often reflected cooling-water needs, grid access and strategic planning rather than scenic coincidence.
After generation
Unlike fossil stations, nuclear sites usually remain highly active long after electricity generation has ceased.
This record can be expanded further with licensed site plans, archival photography, demolition or redevelopment updates, fuller unit-level timelines and linked planning or environmental documentation.
