Pictures Eddie Whitham
THE iconic Fiddler’s Ferry Power Station in Warrington officially closes today (March 31) following nearly 50 years of dominating the Warrington skyline.
The official closure of the coal-fired power station, which became fully operational in 1973, was originally announced by SSE in June 2019.
At its peak, Fiddler’s Ferry had a capacity of 2,000 megawatts (MW), producing enough electricity to power around two million homes.
During its lifetime it has produced around 393TWh (terawatt hours) – enough to power the entire UK for 15 months.
The planned closure is part of SSE’s commitment to a net zero emissions future and comes five years ahead of the UK Government’s target to end unabated coal-fired electricity generation by 2025.
It follows the closure of the company’s other coal-fired plant, the Ferrybridge ‘C’ station in West Yorkshire, in 2016.
The electricity system operator, National Grid, the Government and energy industry regulator, Ofgem, have been consulted with throughout the last year and the closure of the site has long been factored into wider GB electricity system planning.
SSE has committed to reducing the carbon intensity of the electricity it generates by 50%, as well as trebling its renewable energy output, by 2030.
Stephen Wheeler, Managing Director of SSE Thermal, said: “The closure of Fiddler’s Ferry Power Station is a landmark moment for SSE, and the wider energy industry, as we transition to a net zero emissions future. It’s made a huge contribution to the local area, but it’s the right thing to do as the UK continues to move to cleaner ways of producing energy and take action on climate change.
“SSE is now the UK’s leading generator of renewable energy and we have committed to trebling our output by 2030. We will back up this renewable generation with super-efficient gas-fired plants, which we are also looking to decarbonise through emerging carbon capture and hydrogen technology”.
The coal-fired plant has dominated the skyline between Widnes and Warrington since it was built.
The Fiddler’s Ferry power station was proposed in 1962 when a planning application was also submitted, with the first of four 500MW units coming online in 1971, and the site reaching full operation in 1973.
When SSE announced its closure last year, the site employed 158 staff, and SSE said it would seek to redeploy those, some working on decommissioning the plant and others given the offer of voluntary redundancy.
The power station’s memory will live on in its visual legacy including an appearance in the opening titles of the BBC comedy Two Pints of Lager and A Packet of Crisps.
One dramatic episode in its history came on Friday, January 13, 1984, when strong winds caused cooling tower B2 to collapse.
During its history more than £500,000 has been donated to good causes via the station’s annual charity golf day.
Commenting on the closure Warrington South MP Andy Carter said:“Fiddler’s ferry offers great potential for a number of uses. Some parts of the site could be made available quite quickly for future housing development but there are some areas which need a longer term regeneration programme and I’ll be pushing both Warrington Council and the Government to designate this area for financial support so that we can make the most of this brownfield site”.
“The Brorough Council’s local plan must now take this site into serious consideration whilst removing the proposed green belt schemes which are both unpopular and unnecessary before any further consultation is undertaken”.
Key dates in its history include:
1962: Planning Permission proposed.
1971 First supply comes online
1973: Power station reaches full capacity.
1984: Colling tower collpases in strong winds.
1990: Powergen takes ownership of the station following the dawn of privatisation and the break-up of the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB).
1995: A coal importing terminal built at Liverpool’s Gladstone Dock provides coal supplies to Fiddler’s Ferry on a ‘merry-go-round’ rail system.
1999: California-based Edison Mission Energy (EME) buys Fiddler’s Ferry.
2001: American Electric Power (AEP) acquires Fiddler’s Ferry from EME.
2004: SSE buys the station.
2004: Fiddler’s Ferry wins the British Safety Council’s Sword Of Honour.
2019: SSE announces closure of Fiddler’s Ferry.
2020: Fiddler’s Ferry officially closes.
