Warrington coal-power station closes after nearly 50 years

A coal-fired power station in Cheshire which has been in operation for nearly 50 years has closed.

Fiddler's Ferry Power Station in Warrington shut down on Monday, nine months after the closure was announced by energy company SSE.

The facility, which became fully operational in 1973, produced enough electricity to power around two million homes.

SSE said the closure comes five years ahead of the UK Government's target to end coal-fired electricity generation.

It follows the closure of the company's coal-fired Ferrybridge C station in West Yorkshire in 2016.

Stephen Wheeler, managing director of SSE Thermal, said: "The closure of Fiddler's Ferry Power Station is a landmark moment for SSE, and the wider energy industry, as we transition to a net-zero emissions future.

"It's made a huge contribution to the local area, but it's the right thing to do as the UK continues to move to cleaner ways of producing energy and take action on climate change.

"SSE is now the UK's leading generator of renewable energy and we have committed to trebling our output by 2030.

"We will back up this renewable generation with super-efficient gas-fired plants, which we are also looking to decarbonise through emerging carbon capture and hydrogen technology".