West Burton A coal power station shuts downs after 57 years of operation

The power station generated a total of 491,792GWh of electricity over its 57 years of operation, equivalent to powering 164 million homes for a year

The West Burton A coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire, which has been generating coal-fired electricity for 57 years, has ceased operations.

Its four 500 MW units generated a total of 491,792GWh, enough to power 164 million homes for a year, or all of London’s households for 44 years.

The last generation was produced on 7th March, with Units 1 and 2 providing the final power to the grid.

EDF, which owns the station, plans to assist the UK Atomic Energy Authority with site cleanup and the establishment of a prototype fusion energy plant called UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd.

In a statement, EDF said: “The station and its workforce have fulfilled the request to have 400MW available through winter ‘22/23 as an emergency standby option.

“We are delighted that the government has recently established UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd (UKIFS) to deliver a prototype fusion energy plant at the West Burton A site and alongside safe demolition and clean-up of the coal station, EDF will continue to help UKAEA enable progress at site.”

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