Fiddler's Ferry power station
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Fiddler's Ferry power station is a retired power station in Cuerdley, Warrington, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Fiddler's Ferry power station | Cuerdley, Warrington, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom | 53.372865, -2.685797 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4: 53.372865, -2.685797
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | retired | coal: bituminous | 533 | subcritical | 1971 | 2019 |
| Unit 2 | retired | coal: bituminous | 533 | subcritical | 1971 | 2020 |
| Unit 3 | retired | coal: bituminous | 533 | subcritical | 1971 | 2020 |
| Unit 4 | retired | coal: bituminous | 533 | subcritical | 1971 | 2020 |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | SSE PLC [100%] | SSE PLC [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | SSE PLC [100%] | SSE PLC [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | SSE PLC [100%] | SSE PLC [100.0%] |
| Unit 4 | SSE PLC [100%] | SSE PLC [100.0%] |
Background
The 4 x 500 MW subcritical plant was commissioned in 1971-1973.[1]
In February 2016 it was reported that three of the power station's four units would likely close by April 1, 2016. According to owner SSE, the aging coal plant has been incurring substantial losses in recent years which were expected to continue through 2020.[2] The fourth generation unit at Fiddler’s Ferry is contracted by network operator National Grid to provide market balancing services during the winter of 2016-17. SSE declined to comment on what will happen to the unit after that contract expires.[3]
In March 2016 SSE said it will keep all Fiddler’s Ferry units open until at least March 31, 2017, after the plant secured a contract to provide backup power for winter 2016-17. SSE said it would also enter all or part of the plants near two gigawatts of capacity into the country’s capacity market auction being held for 2017-18.[4]
In February 2017 Fiddler’s Ferry announced provisional agreements for the GB Capacity Market Auction covering October 2017 to September 2018. Halton MP Derek Twigg said that a new agreement at Fiddlers Ferry will run until 2019.[5]
In March 2019 SSE said it was closing unit 1 of the power station.[6] In June 2019 SSE said it wants to close the entire coal-fired power station by the end of March 2020. According to SSE: "As national and international policies focus on promoting lower-carbon forms of electricity generation in a bid to tackle climate change, the economics of coal-fired stations have become increasingly challenged."[7]
The entire power station was shut down on March 31, 2020.[8]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ Department of Energy and Climate Change, "Power stations in the United Kingdom, May 2012", Department of Energy and Climate Change, May 2012. (This link is to an Excel spreadsheet).
- ↑ "Consultation on future of SSE's Fiddler's Ferry Power Station," SSE plc, Feb 6, 2015
- ↑ "Major UK coal power plant closure 'will not lead to blackouts,'" Guardian, Feb 4, 2016
- ↑ "SSE says to keep UK Fiddler’s Ferry coal plant open an extra year," Reuters, March 30, 2016
- ↑ "Fiddler's Ferry future - Halton MP says Government must 'think very carefully' about its future," Echo, Mar 8, 2017
- ↑ "News SSE Closes Cheshire Coal Power Plant Unit, Negligible Impact Expected," Morning Star, March 19, 2019
- ↑ "SSE To End Operations At Last Remaining Coal Power Station," London Southeast, June 13, 2019
- ↑ "SSE CLOSES LAST COAL-FIRED POWER STATION," SSE, March 31, 2020
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
