New photos show inside Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station as final unit closes
40 employees are set to leave the landmark site later this month
by Oscar Fisher · NottinghamshireLiveA series of photographs have captured life inside the iconic Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station ahead of a two-year decommissioning process. The coal-fired power station, which is the last of its kind in the UK, ceased generating energy on Monday (September 30) after more than 50 years of powering Nottinghamshire and the wider UK.
Capable of powering two million homes, the facility started production in 1968 and is a distinctive landmark with its eight cooling towers and 199-metre-tall chimney. The closure marks the continuation of a move away from generating energy from coal, the dirtiest of fossil fuels, towards greener fuels.
It also sets in motion a chain of events that is likely to see the famous old towers, known by many who have driven down the A453, demolished despite a plea to leave at least one of them standing. Decommissioning began on Tuesday (October 1), and is expected to take two years to complete. People came to bear witness to the power station’s final day of operation on Monday, taking pictures from a nearby bridge and outside the gate.
Permission has already been secured for two of the southernmost cooling towers at the historic site to be demolished - with Uniper, the site's operator, having previously said that all demolition will be complete by 2030. Ratcliffe's eight cooling towers stand at a height of 114 metres, with the walls of each tower being seven inches thick and constructed from reinforced draught concrete.
News of the power station's closure has already led to the creation of a petition to save the cooling towers as a monument to Nottinghamshire's industrial heritage. Renowned playwright James Graham, the man behind the BBC's Sherwood series, has been among those urging the cooling towers to be kept.
Yet Mike Lockett, the UK Country Chair at Uniper, said: "The plan for the site includes a full redevelopment, including the site where the towers are, so that overall redevelopment will lead to the towers coming down." Greenpeace member Bob Knight said: “It’s something to celebrate, but I also wanted to thank Ratcliffe-on-Soar for all the power it’s generated over the years – the lights it’s kept on, the jobs it’s generated, the people it’s kept warm.”
“We’re hopefully going to use this site for greener energy generation in the future.” Photos from a closure event at the landmark, held a day after power production ended, can be found in our photo gallery below:
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