Energy firm announces closure of power station

Energy firm SSE has announced it is closing a coal fired power station near Warrington.

The firm has said its Fiddler’s Ferry site, where 160 staff work, is to close next March.

SSE has said the power station’s losses were “unsustainable”.

Meanwhile, trade union Unite, said the announcement was “grim news” for the workers at the power station.

Stephen Wheeler, managing director of Thermal Energy at SSE, said the proposed closure of the power station was “not a decision we are taking lightly”.

He added: “Financially, Fiddler’s Ferry is loss-making and our projections show that it will continue to be so.”

The company said it hoped to redeploy some employees elsewhere in the group.

A statement said it would be offering enhanced voluntary redundancy terms to avoid compulsory redundancies.

The power station opened in 1973 and was formerly operated by the Central Electricity Generating Board.

SSE took over in 2005 in the wake of privatisation.

Unite regional officer Graham Williams said: “This is very grim news for the workforce…as well as being a devastating blow for the economy in the North West.

“While we recognise that coal-fired electricity generation is being phased out, Fiddler’s Ferry plays a significant role in providing back-up when there are surges in energy demand during cold snaps and the National Grid is seeking additional supplies.”