End of an era for Cockenzie power station

AN iconic power station that has generated electricity for 46 years and powered a million homes annually fed into the national grid for the last time today.

Cockenzie Power Station was due to shut down its four turbines at 8.30am this morning – accelerating the coal-powered giant’s decommissioning phase by several weeks.

Many of station’s 100 staff will move to other energy providers or take up new roles with ScottishPower, while others opted to retire or accept a severance package.

Neil Clitheroe, ScottishPower’s chief executive of energy retail and generation, said it “was the end of an era” for the supplier and the workers at the East Lothian-based station.

“When Cockenzie became operational in 1967, the world was a very different place, but the station was designed to such a high standard that it played a pivotal role in maintaining the security of electricity supplies in Britain for more than four decades,” he said.

Planning consent for a new 1000MW gas-fired station 
has already been granted but the firm is “continuing to 
evaluate options” for its development.