OLDBURY Power Station is back firing on all cylinders to help power the nation.

Both reactors at the 40-year-old power station are now back on line to the National Grid exactly five years to the day since the site began reducing output.

Oldbury’s Reactor Two returned to full working order on May 22. Reactor One has been at full power since March.

Dr Brian Burnett, Magnox programme director for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which owns the Magnox sites, said: "We are delighted by this return to full power as this ensures further benefit from one of the NDA's valuable assets.

"The income generated over the extension period will be utilised to support our clean-up mission and Oldbury will continue to contribute to the UK's electricity supply. "I would also like to pay tribute to the dedication of the Magnox North team who have gone the extra mile to make this happen."

Oldbury was originally scheduled to stop generating power in December last year, but has since received the go-ahead to continue for another two years, protecting up to 450 until at least 2010.

Joe Lamonby, Oldbury's site director, said: "I am delighted that Oldbury is back generating electricity at full power after an extended period of reduced output.

"It is testament to the hard work and commitment of Magnox North staff that we are able to continue generating electricity safely."

In April it was announced by the Department of Energy and Climate Change that Oldbury is likely to remain the site of a nuclear power station after it was included on a list of 11 nominated sites where new nuclear power stations could be built by 2018.

It is thought the new nuclear power station would be built by German energy giant E.ON after it secured a transmission connection agreement with National Grid at Oldbury and also started to buy land in the Shepperdine area.