THE shutdown of Hartlepool nuclear power reactor may affect owner British Energy's level of output at fixed prices this year, it said last night.

British Energy said it benefited from higher power prices after posting profits of £64m for the three months to July.

The group, which needed a complex financial restructuring to stay afloat two years ago, said it had achieved prices 37 per cent higher than last year at £24.7 per megawatt hour and that 85 per cent of output for the year to the end of March had been fixed at £31.8 per megawatt hour.

However, British Energy warned the shutdown of reactors at Heysham, in Lancashire, and Hartlepool could affect the level of output at fixed prices.

The reactors have been shut down since September 12 while inspections are carried out on boilers closure units and are expected to be running by mid-October.