HPB meaning

HPB denotes Hinkley Point B, the Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) nuclear power station at Hinkley Point, Somerset. In legal practice it is a descriptive shorthand used in energy, infrastructure and environmental documents—such as nuclear site licence materials, generation and grid connection agreements, power purchase arrangements, decommissioning contracts, planning consents and environmental permits—to identify this specific asset. It is not defined in legislation or case law. HPB was operated by EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Limited. Electricity generation ended in 2022; the station is now in defuelling and decommissioning. Activities are regulated under a site licence granted pursuant to the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 and overseen by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), with environmental regulation by the Environment Agency, alongside applicable nuclear liability and radioactive waste management obligations. Usage is broadly consistent across England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Although the plant is in England, it is commonly referenced in Great Britain electricity market and regulatory materials. In Ireland, references are descriptive (for example, in cross‑border market, interconnector or policy analysis) rather than grounded in Irish nuclear legislation.