Power station closes down after 50 years

A WEST Yorkshire power station is closing down this week after operators SSE predicting a loss of £100m over the next five years.

The Ferrybridge coal-fired power station in Knottingley is a 48 year-old site, with 172 staff who are being “redeployed” to Keadby power station of across the wider SSE business.

The announcement to close the plant was made in May 2015, with the closing date set for 31 March 2016.

Operators SSE said that the financial situation of the plant, as well as increasingly burdensome environmental legislature and the political leanings that point towards the end of coal as a power source meant that the station was unsustainable.

Paul Smith, SSE managing director, Generation, said at the time of the initial announcement: “This was a very difficult decision to take because of the impact on our Ferrybridge employees, their families and the community.

“It’s been known for many years that the UK would have to phase out coal as it moves towards a more sustainable energy mix. We’ve sought to protect jobs and invest in the site to keep it running for as long as we possibly could but ultimately we’ve had to make this regrettable decision today. “