Towers at Didcot A set to shut in a fortnight (From The Oxford Times)

Towers at Didcot A set to shut in a fortnight

9:10am Friday 8th March 2013 in News

DIDCOT’S cooling towers will shut down two weeks today.

They officially stop production on Friday, March 22, at 2pm.

Power generation had been due to cease on Sunday, March 31, but RWE npower has now announced that the station – famous for its six 325ft cooling towers – will close earlier.

Didcot A was originally going to close in 2015, but in 2008 it opted out of a European Union directive and had to close following 20,000 hours of generation from that date.

In September the countdown to demolition began when the closure date of March 31 was announced.

If Didcot A continues to operate constantly, it will reach its production limit on March 22 at 2pm.

RWE npower spokesman Kelly Brown said: “We are 90 per cent sure that Didcot A will shut down on March 22, but if we have to stop production for a few hours for any reason then closure could be later.

“Should the generation profile change, the expected closure date may move in order to utilise the 20,000 hours limit allowed under LCPD (Large Combustion Plant Directive) regulations.”

Town council leader Margaret Davies said: “People in Didcot have known for some time that Didcot A is due to close soon, but this announcement brings the reality even closer.”