E.ON shuts down 370 MW Ironbridge coal-fired unit (UK)

E.ON UK has decided not to proceed with the repair work to rehabilitate the first unit of the Ironbridge coal-fired power plant in the United Kingdom, which had been unavailable due to a fire in the turbine hall in February 2014, and to shut down the unit instead.

The power utility concluded that the damage to the 370 MW Unit 1 was so extensive that it is not economically viable to do the repair work required for the limited period of operation remaining under the EU's Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD). Like many other power stations around the country, the LCPD requires Ironbridge to close after generating for 20,000 hours from 1 January 2008 or by the end of 2015, whichever comes first. As a result, E.ON has taken the decision not to return Unit 1 to service. Although Unit 1 will no longer run, Unit 2, which was not affected by the fire, will continue to operate within the LCPD limitations and market availability will be shown as appropriate.