Coal-fired power generation ends today in Scotland with the closure of Longannet power station, which is due to finish producing power at 3pm. At 2400MW, the plant – now owned by Scottish Power and ultimately Iberdrola – was Scotland’s biggest power producer and it was the largest power station in Europe when it started up in 1970.

The Scottish Government has an “ambitious but achievable” target for renewable energy in Scotland to generate the equivalent of 100% of gross annual electricity consumption and 11% of heat consumption by 2020.

SSE’s Ferrybridge C power station in South Yorkshire, meanwhile, is due to close on 31 March. It has opened a consultation with employees at the Fiddlers Ferry plant in Cheshire as it expects to close three of the four units at the plant on 1 April.  The fourth unit will remain available to National Grid next winter.

Meanwhile, in South Wales Simec has restarted a second 120MW unit at the Uskmouth coal-fired power station. The company acquired the station in December 2014 with the aim of converting it to biomass, but that project was hit within weeks by changes in the level of support and so-called ‘grandfathering’ for biomass conversion. It remains a long-term plan for the site and Simec also has plans for other power investment including in tidal power, but instead of immediate conversion on acquisition the company restarted one coal unit in ear;y 2015 while it reconsidered its plans.

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Read our May 2015 interview with Uskmouth Power CEO James Bausche

Further reading: Eggborough signs SBR contract

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