Didcot Power Station Is Switched Off

22 March 2013, 14:25 | Updated: 22 March 2013, 14:29

Heart’s been told Didcot’s power station is being switched off this afternoon – after more than 40 years of generating electricity for the UK.

It’s after new European rules were brought in about coal-fired power stations, which meant owners NPower had a choice to either make major efficiency upgrades or close the site down.

The switch-off has meant around 100 people have lost their jobs, but 48 people employed at the plant have been found work elsewhere in the company and another 70 are staying on to help with the shut down for the next few months.

Simon Holloway has been working at the station since 1980 and says it’s sad to see it closed.

He added: “It’s a big day, a very emotional day because we have been like a community here for over 40 years.”

Discussions are still ongoing about what the site will become – and it’s still possible that English Heritage could list the towers, so they can’t be demolished.

But Dan Meredith from NPower says that’s unlikely.

He added: “It’s obviously of interest for future power generation of course because we’ve got all the infrastructure already here and there’s another power station on the site as well.”

NPower say that Didcot B, a gas-fired power station at the site, will continue generating power for “many years to come”.