Energy company SSE has said it expects to close three out of four units at its Fiddler’s Ferry coal-fired power plant in Cheshire by 1 April. The 45-year old plant has been loss-making for two years and was forecast to continue losing money until 2020. Renewable energy and cheap gas prices have made coal-fired power plants increasingly expensive to run. SSE has entered into consultation with staff. The closures could mean up to 213 job losses. The power plant provides two gigawatts of power, to the north-west of England, which is enough to supply around two million homes with electricity. A fourth unit at the plant will remain open as it has a contract to provide power for the National Grid next winter.
BBC 3rd Feb 2016 read more »
SSE has announced plans to shut most of its Fiddler’s Ferry coal-fired power plant in April, wiping 1.5 gigawatts of power capacity from the UK grid and worsening the looming energy crisis next winter. The energy giant said it intended to shut three out of four units at the loss-making Cheshire power station, reneging on a Government subsidy contract to keep them running until 2018-19 and putting 213 jobs at risk. The move, which the Telegraph revealed SSE was considering last week, was condemned as “extremely disappointing” by the Government, which sought to reassure households the lights would stay on.
Telegraph 3rd Feb 2016 read more »
Herald 4th Feb 2016 read more »