SSE has closed the remaining units of its Fiddler’s Ferry coal-fired power plant in Warrington, Cheshire (United Kingdom). The power units, totalling around 1.5 GW, were idle and were the last remaining coal-fired units operated by SSE. The ageing 1,995 MW coal-fired power plant (commissioned in 1971) has been incurring substantial financial losses in recent years, prompting SSE to close the first unit, rated 485 MW, in March 2019. The contract for the three remaining units (two rated 485 MW and one 506 MW) ended in September 2019 as the power plant had limited success in the Government’s Capacity Market auctions.
In addition, RWE has closed its Aberthaw B coal-fired power plant in Vale of Glamorgan, in Wales (United Kingdom). The power plant consists of three 535 MW units that were commissioned in 1971 and were initially expected to operate until 2021 but stopped power generation in December 2019. The power plant held capacity market agreements for 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, which have been transferred to four sites, namely RWE's gas-fired power plants at Cowes (140 MW) and Grimsby (22 MW), EDF's 2 GW West Burton A coal-fired power plant and SSE's 1.2 GW Peterhead gas-fired power plant.
The British government has committed to phasing out coal-fired power plants by 2025 and plans to achieve a net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050.
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