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NUCLEAR Β· Decommissioning

Windscale WAGR

The Windscale Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor was the prototype for Britain’s later commercial AGR fleet. It generated electricity from 1962 to 1981 and subsequently became a major demonstration project for reactor dismantling.

Prototype AGR Cumbria England Commissioned 1962 Closed 1981
Sellafield Ltd logo Sellafield Ltd
Site image Decommissioning
A licensed station photograph is not yet attached to this record. The panel shows an indicative plant-form view until a site image is added.
Prototype AGR Technical views
Prototype AGR process diagram
Indicative coastal nuclear site arrangement
Advanced gas-cooled reactor sequence showing graphite moderation, carbon-dioxide coolant, steam raising and turbine generation.

Station map context

OpenStreetMap view showing the actual atlas coordinate for Windscale WAGR, 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: 54.422, -3.4975

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

Sellafield Ltd
StatusDecommissioning
FuelNuclear
TechnologyPrototype AGR
Capacity32 MW
Commissioned1962
Closed1981
RegionCumbria
NationEngland
OwnerNuclear Decommissioning Authority
OperatorSellafield Ltd

Why it matters

  • Prototype for the commercial AGR fleet
  • Generated electricity from 1962 to 1981
  • Landmark reactor-decommissioning demonstration

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.

1962 Operation began

WAGR entered operation as Britain’s prototype advanced gas-cooled electricity-generating reactor.

1981 Generation ended

The prototype reactor shut down after establishing experience used by the later commercial AGR programme.

1990 Dismantling demonstration

WAGR became a nationally important demonstration of remote reactor dismantling and waste packaging.

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. Windscale WAGR should therefore be read as part of a wider infrastructure system rather than as an isolated structure in the landscape.

Approx. coordinates: 54.422, -3.4975

Source notes

  • UK government and NDA records identify WAGR as a prototype power-generating AGR that operated from 1962 to 1981.
  • The 32 MW capacity is a simplified historical reference figure for the prototype reactor.
  • Sources reviewed July 2026.

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.

AGR prototype

WAGR provided the engineering bridge between early Magnox reactors and Britain’s larger commercial AGR stations.

Sellafield setting

The reactor stood within the wider Windscale and Sellafield nuclear complex near Calder Hall.

Decommissioning legacy

Its dismantling programme developed techniques and waste packages later relevant to the wider graphite-reactor estate.

Further record development

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.