Didcot A Power Station to close next March (From The Oxford Times)

It will be a shame to see it go in many ways, I cannot remember a day without it on the skyline. I would really like to see RWE open the site up to visitors before it gets demolished, and maybe have some events to celebrate it.

As long as they don't replace it with a nuclear station, I don't mind what they do with the land. Preferably, housing, to take the burden from elsewhere. It has a road and rail connection, perfect for many thousands of homes!

But does Didcot need more housing!?!? I think not. With the Power Station closing, the Tesco warehouse closing too there is going to be a lack of jobs in the area. And to be honest Didcot is earmarked for the lion’s share of development in Oxfordshire as it is!!

I think Didcot is developing a little too fast, more houses means more people but where’s the work? Look at the town, we have a shopping centre but with empty units. No decent pubs or nightlife, no decent restaurants unless you like Indian food?

If we are not careful Didcot could end up being one big housing estate with a high level of unemployment and crime. Leave the area of the Power Station as a nature reserve of some kind, with maybe part of the Power Station becoming a visitor’s centre/museum.

EMBOX1 wrote:
It will be a shame to see it go in many ways, I cannot remember a day without it on the skyline. I would really like to see RWE open the site up to visitors before it gets demolished, and maybe have some events to celebrate it.

As long as they don't replace it with a nuclear station, I don't mind what they do with the land. Preferably, housing, to take the burden from elsewhere. It has a road and rail connection, perfect for many thousands of homes!

Although not possible because of the water needs, a Nuclear plant would be ideal. Clean, Green and CHEAP electricity. Just look at the french model, people there fight to have one built near them.

Nuclear power isn't cheap. I don't know where you got that from. Cheapish to build, and run, yes but horrifically expense to decommission.

As of 2010 it was £3.6m per megawatt to decommission a plant (Windscale/Sellafiel
d). Suppose Didcot A was nuclear now, that's a bill of £7.2 BILLION pounds.

The UK policy on decommissioning plants is to let our grandkids have the problem. Dig a big hole, line it with concrete and leave it there for eternity.

Nuclear is great as it's clean, but it comes at a massive price to your kids, and the environment.

Does this closure mean the disappearance of the chimney's or are they used for Didcot B?.

Mark L. wrote:
Does this closure mean the disappearance of the chimney's or are they used for Didcot B?.

The big cooling towers, main chimney and boiler house will go. The chimney with the blue top will go also - that is the cold start (2x Rolls Royce jet engines) station, which provides power to start the main station.

There is a lot of ancillary plant; propane tanks, rail terminal, coal elevators, etc. Its a big job to remove it all.

The two stubby chimneys are for Didcot B, and will remain.

It was on the cards, But it is a same as when you drive for miles up or down the A34 when you see the "Towers" you know your not far from home.
As for Mr Diddyman you are wrong to say Tesco's warehouse is "closing" , You should,nt worry people as people have jobs their. In any case have been told by good knowledge that it will NOT close, as it has ideal "dock" levelers for the hundreds of Tesco Express stores in Oxfordshire/Berks/Wi
lts. In any case its more likely Tesco will purchase Didcot "A" land like they did with the old Courage Brewery site in Reading.
And Booker at Didcot just re-opened after spending thousands creating many jobs, the Entertainer shop opening in empty large unit in Orchard Centre. MEPC Milton Park is also to create many jobs being "science vale".... Didcot is not a bad town!, their is many worse towns in the South East england with more empty units than us...

EMBOX1 wrote:

Mark L. wrote:
Does this closure mean the disappearance of the chimney's or are they used for Didcot B?.

The big cooling towers, main chimney and boiler house will go. The chimney with the blue top will go also - that is the cold start (2x Rolls Royce jet engines) station, which provides power to start the main station.

There is a lot of ancillary plant; propane tanks, rail terminal, coal elevators, etc. Its a big job to remove it all.

The two stubby chimneys are for Didcot B, and will remain.

Dont know where you get your info from,ive worked at Didcot A for years and never heard about 2x Rolls royce engines for a cold start?
Dont even know what a cold start is? i know what a black start is,also,coal elevators?? i work in the coal plant ,so if we had coal elevators i think i know about them.
Anyway this isnt news,weve known since 2008 that we were going to shut in march 2013.
As for the cooling towers,Didcot B has 16 cooling towers that you cant see,(about 50ft high),so the six big ones will go,(the demolition boys have already been in to have a gander).

Wait till all your energy is provided by russian gas and renewables, the bills will rocket

I can remember days before Didcot A power station was not on the skyline. I worked for the Central Electricity Generating Board in London, in the 1960s, and managed the development and commissioning accounts for it. I watched it grow ever higher as I drove across what was then Berkshire; but, being a resident of Sutton Courtenay I've always had divided views about it - good for the nation, (at least, once the acid rain problem was solved) but a blight on my home. I am delighted that it has served its purpose and will be demolished. My kitchen and bedroom windows and garden will no longer look out on thousands of tonnes of ugly concrete -it really is not beautiful, as some would claim, who only see it from a distance. I can think of far prettier signposts to my home.
It was kind of station manager Phil Noake to thank the local community for the support we have given over the years; but while wishing the employees well for their futures it really is time to let go of the old structures and look forward to something better.

mrlocal1 wrote:
It was on the cards, But it is a same as when you drive for miles up or down the A34 when you see the "Towers" you know your not far from home. As for Mr Diddyman you are wrong to say Tesco's warehouse is "closing" , You should,nt worry people as people have jobs their. In any case have been told by good knowledge that it will NOT close, as it has ideal "dock" levelers for the hundreds of Tesco Express stores in Oxfordshire/Berks/Wi lts. In any case its more likely Tesco will purchase Didcot "A" land like they did with the old Courage Brewery site in Reading. And Booker at Didcot just re-opened after spending thousands creating many jobs, the Entertainer shop opening in empty large unit in Orchard Centre. MEPC Milton Park is also to create many jobs being "science vale".... Didcot is not a bad town!, their is many worse towns in the South East england with more empty units than us...

Maybe what I've been told is wrong then about the Tesco warehouse closing?? I've heard it a few times now but could be just a rumour?? Anyone else heard this?

As for the "science vale" having worked in Rutherford and Harwell if you are not educated to a degree level you won’t be getting any jobs. How long will Booker last, it went under once before, remember Mr Local??

Like I said, I just think the powers that be need to slow down with all the big housing developments planned for around Didcot and to have some saying the Power Station site would be good for another 1000 odd houses, that would be a nightmare for the town.

Why all the talk of housing? Would the land not be too dirty for years and take too much to clean up to be used for housing? Also a lot of people that live in and around Didcot dont work locally they commute via train to London, Reading etc so I dont think there is any need to worry about too many houses and not enough local jobs. There are only a couple of empty shops units in th Orchard entre one of which will be a toy shop soon, unlike other towns like Abingdon and Wantage with loads of empty units. As for the night life granted not enough decent pubs but you have a choice of Italian and Chinese not just Indian. I think Didcot does all right and I will miss the towers on trips home via the A34 asking my two boys if they can spot 'home' yet.

How on earth does someone get 263 negative votes? Me thinks perhaps the OM website boffins need to find out how embox is hacking the voting system.

I suspect the power station site is not suited for housing development - look at the environment it is in. It is interesting that so much has been said about it by the folk of Didcot - I suppose they identify with it because of its name, although it is not located in Didcot. The future of the site will not be decided by the people of Didcot, Didcot town council or the South Oxfordshire District Council. Their views may contribute to discussion, but ultimately it is for the local parish concerned and the Vale of White Horse District Council to consider and evaluate whatever development is proposed.

saddletramp wrote:

EMBOX1 wrote:

Mark L. wrote:
Does this closure mean the disappearance of the chimney's or are they used for Didcot B?.

The big cooling towers, main chimney and boiler house will go. The chimney with the blue top will go also - that is the cold start (2x Rolls Royce jet engines) station, which provides power to start the main station.

There is a lot of ancillary plant; propane tanks, rail terminal, coal elevators, etc. Its a big job to remove it all.

The two stubby chimneys are for Didcot B, and will remain.

Dont know where you get your info from,ive worked at Didcot A for years and never heard about 2x Rolls royce engines for a cold start?
Dont even know what a cold start is? i know what a black start is,also,coal elevators?? i work in the coal plant ,so if we had coal elevators i think i know about them.
Anyway this isnt news,weve known since 2008 that we were going to shut in march 2013.
As for the cooling towers,Didcot B has 16 cooling towers that you cant see,(about 50ft high),so the six big ones will go,(the demolition boys have already been in to have a gander).

I remember having a guided tour of Didcot back in 1989 and the guide pointed out the smaller station with the blue tipped chimmney, which had four(?) rolls royce gas turbines which were for emergencies.
It will be a shame to see the place go, it has always been a useful landmark. Still I'm working out the best place to view the demolition!

EMBOX1 wrote:
Nuclear power isn't cheap. I don't know where you got that from. Cheapish to build, and run, yes but horrifically expense to decommission.

As of 2010 it was £3.6m per megawatt to decommission a plant (Windscale/Sellafiel

d). Suppose Didcot A was nuclear now, that's a bill of £7.2 BILLION pounds.

The UK policy on decommissioning plants is to let our grandkids have the problem. Dig a big hole, line it with concrete and leave it there for eternity.

Nuclear is great as it's clean, but it comes at a massive price to your kids, and the environment.

Interesting that seem to 'know' so much about the Nuclear legacy yet have some fear that they will build a reactor in Didcot....

Do you notice anything about the location of Nuclear power-plants? It's not a coincidence that they are all by the sea or vast lakes.

Buffetcrasher wrote:
How on earth does someone get 263 negative votes? Me thinks perhaps the OM website boffins need to find out how embox is hacking the voting system.

I seriously can't believe this many people read the story. 313 negative votes? I haven't ever seen numbers that high here before; even national newspapers struggle to get to that number. I have tried to rate answers more than once and it is possible if you search the story through the paper's website search.

One of my work colleagues who lives in Didcot, says that Didcot B( Gas fired) is not running at present as gas is too expensive.Didcot A (Coal) is running at 60% capacity at present,until it closes next year. I bet in that time , China will have built a load more coal fired power stations. What a mad world we live in.

Mark L. wrote:
One of my work colleagues who lives in Didcot, says that Didcot B( Gas fired) is not running at present as gas is too expensive.Didcot A (Coal) is running at 60% capacity at present,until it closes next year. I bet in that time , China will have built a load more coal fired power stations. What a mad world we live in.

Indeed it's only because of the nutty environmentalists that the place is being shut down. Some bright spark at EU headquarters decided that the four flues count as one chimney rather than separate as they should be so the place has to be demolished. Not the best thing to do considering the state of the economy and ever rising energy needs.

Yes there actually is another station down there besides Didcot B and if memory is correct contains four Rolls Royce gas turbines of I think 25MW each.

I can't believe someone who claims to work on the coal plant is not aware of them, you go past them every day mate!!

They were installed to provide help with peak loads and can be started relatively quickly compared to firing up one of the main units that used to take 24hrs from cold.

Very little contamination down there except coal, coal ash and coal dust so not a hard job to clean up.

With regard who has a say on the future of the site, I find it quite insulting that having lived in Didcot all my life with memories of the station being built that we townsfolk don't have a say. The Vale have no doubt benefited from the rates the place attracted but it's us who have had to endure the place.

Maybe you should return some of the money you pocketed over the years so we can build a nice sports stadium or something similar.

I had a tour around Didcot A a fortnight ago. The tour guide explicity said there were 2x RR jet engines in there - and he'd worked there for 30 years!

To whoever wrote this:

"Sorry you are WRONG. Just look at the French model, who own our electricity anyway. How do they survive and build more if what you say is correct?. Your argument is like the stcp lot, flawed, and blinded by your bigotry."

The French model is to build the cost of decommissioning in at the planning stage, and to levy a fee on the operators so that once the plant is done with, there is enough in the pot to pay for its clean-up.

There is no "bigotry" here - just cold, hard financial facts. Run the numbers, and you'll see why the UK's nuclear policy is so backwards.

If you want your grandkids to pay for the vast amount of waste, then knock yourself out and support nuclear.

Personally, I say Nein Danke.

Didcot A Power Station comprise 4 ×25MW oil-fired Rolls Royce twin Avon generating sets.

Didcot B consists of two 680 MWe modules, each with two 230 MW SGT5-4000F (former V94.3A) Siemens gas turbines.

Your guide didn't work down the coal plant by any chance did he?

Incidently the Didcot A gas turbines appear to be staying put.

StaceyHume wrote:

Mark L. wrote:
One of my work colleagues who lives in Didcot, says that Didcot B( Gas fired) is not running at present as gas is too expensive.Didcot A (Coal) is running at 60% capacity at present,until it closes next year. I bet in that time , China will have built a load more coal fired power stations. What a mad world we live in.

Indeed it's only because of the nutty environmentalists that the place is being shut down. Some bright spark at EU headquarters decided that the four flues count as one chimney rather than separate as they should be so the place has to be demolished. Not the best thing to do considering the state of the economy and ever rising energy needs.

Yes there actually is another station down there besides Didcot B and if memory is correct contains four Rolls Royce gas turbines of I think 25MW each.

I can't believe someone who claims to work on the coal plant is not aware of them, you go past them every day mate!!

They were installed to provide help with peak loads and can be started relatively quickly compared to firing up one of the main units that used to take 24hrs from cold.

Very little contamination down there except coal, coal ash and coal dust so not a hard job to clean up.

With regard who has a say on the future of the site, I find it quite insulting that having lived in Didcot all my life with memories of the station being built that we townsfolk don't have a say. The Vale have no doubt benefited from the rates the place attracted but it's us who have had to endure the place.

Maybe you should return some of the money you pocketed over the years so we can build a nice sports stadium or something similar.

Lets get it right about the GT house on the Didcot A site. The turbines are downgraded English Electric 35 MW machines, with R-R engines, as at that time EE didn't build 25MW machines. They were originally used for "Peak Lopping" which means they generated at early morning and evening peak demand periods.

Their proper use was for a cold start should the site become isolated from the grid. Each machine fed onto the main station enough power to start one turbo generator set, enough to make it self sufficient. Over the years they were modified to run cleaner than their counterparts that were installed mainly in the north. The R-R Avon engines at that time were clean engines by the standards at that time. These machines run on aviation fuel and not natural gas as is the case of Didcot B.
Didcot B has two sets of two gas turbines and the exhaust heat from each pair is enough to raise steam through a conventional waste heat reclaim boiler to power one steam turbine, of approximately a similar output of one Gas Turbine. These steam turbines are the reason cooling towers had to be built. The Gas Turbines don't need cooling towers.
The original A station gas turbines are not an economical viable proposition to run on a continuous basis for profitable generation. They are limited on their hours as to how long they can be run efficiently and it is costly to overhaul them as they are now basically a redundant engine.

I also should add to the above that the last time that I was on site, some years ago now, only one of the original gas turbines had survived, so as to the serviceability of them now I am unsure.

As goes pollution on the site, it is probably very minimal as concrete rafts were built under the coal storage areas to prevent the coal stocks sinking into the upper top crust.

Don't forget the pipe corridor road which runs from adjacent to the old Amey site in Sutton Courtenay through to the power station itself, what a useful link that could be in the future taking the traffic away from Appleford and certainly reducing time and distance into Didcot.. The only limitation would be the close proximity of the 400kv overhead lines.
The stations link with the Thames could however facilitate an additional water supply when the Thames water level permits as a top up for the towns needs and its river side pumps may be beneficial to Thames Water to that end.

I once knew a very strange man who painted only pictures of the cooling towers. He had an entire gallery of etchings, water-colours, oils and pencil drawings dedicated to them. What will he do now?

I HOPE THE COOLING TOWERS STAY, THEY ARE THE ONLY GOOD THINGS ABOUT DIDCOT!!!!

Most of the Power Station site is in Sutton Courtenay parish so it doesn't really concern Didcot what happens to the land after the A station has gone.

Minus 290!!!. Something fishy going on.