UK’s “third-worst eyesore” power plant closes

The coal power station Didcot A in Oxfordshire was shut down today after generating electricity for 43 years. Coming online in 1970, Didcot A was voted the country’s third worst […]

The coal power station Didcot A in Oxfordshire was shut down today after generating electricity for 43 years.

Coming online in 1970, Didcot A was voted the country’s third worst ‘eyesore’ by the readers of magazine Country Life in 2003 but others have hailed its design as a modern classic.

Conservation charity English Heritage is considering listing the six concrete cooling towers which were designed by architect Sir Frederick Gibberd, while acclaimed sculptor Henry Moore has been linked with the layout of the towers.

It has been closed to fall in line with the EU’s Large Combustion Plant Directive, which sets limits on power plants’ emissions. Didcot A’s operator npower will begin a nine month decommissioning process, followed by a demolition process which could take several years.

Phil Noake, Didcot A Power Station Manager said: “This is a sad time for everyone at the power station but I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved”.

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