CLOSURE DATE FOR WALES’ LAST COAL POWER STATION
THE last coal-fired power station in Wales is to close. The Aberthaw station, near Barry, will close next year. Power giant RWE, which owns the station, said it faced “challenging market conditions”.
Unite said 170 jobs will be affected, describing the news as a “blow” to the workers and local economy.
A consultation with affected staff and employee representatives will now begin.
The 1,560mw Aberthaw B power station opened in 1971.
RWE generation CEO Roger Miesen said: “This is a difficult time for everyone at Aberthaw Power Station. However market conditions made this decision necessary. I would like to thank all of our staff, past and present, who have contributed to the success of the station for so many years. Over the coming months we will complete the consultation process.”
The proposed date of closure is March 31, 2020.
RWE said: “The decision to close the station will contribute to the company’s goal to reduce its CO emissions step by step.”
Unite regional officer Kelvin Mawer said: “We will be asking for an urgent meeting with the management of RWE for them to explain the earlier-than-expected closure of the plant.
“We want to know why the closure of the plant has been brought forward
to next March from the anticipated date of 2021.
“Since 1971, this power station has greatly contributed to the UK’s energy mix, so the loss of the 170 jobs will be a very hard blow for the workers, their families and, more generally, the south Wales economy.
“The reasons given for the closure are economic – the plant has rarely run over the last few months, however the decision to close has come a lot earlier than expected.
“When we meet the company we will be exploring redeployment opportunities for our members.”
Campaigners have long called for the plant to be closed, claiming it costs more in pollution than the gains it generates in jobs and electricity.
In 2015, the European Commission announced it was taking the UK Government to court because the pollution emitted by Aberthaw Power Station was above legal limits.
In the same year the UK Government said all coal-fired power stations must close by 2025 and will be restricted in their usage from 2023.
Aberthaw once described itself as “one of the most efficient coal-fired power stations in the UK”.
A 2015 report by Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth said Aberthaw, which can produce electricity for 1.5m homes, had the third highest emissions of nitrogen oxides of any industrial installation in the whole of the European Union.
At the time Aberthaw said it was fully compliant and was “vital” to the UK’s electricity supply.
Reacting to the closure, Friends of the Earth Cymru director Haf Elgar said: “The writing’s on the wall for the coal industry – we cannot keep burning fossil fuels in a climate emergency and we must stop now.
“It’s welcome news that Wales’ last coal-fired power station is set to close. Combined with the Welsh Government’s announcement at the end of last year that there should be no new coal mining in Wales, so finally we will be able to say that coal is history.
“We must now re-energise our efforts to cut emissions to net zero and secure solutions to climate change that support communities throughout Wales, creating green jobs and a healthy sustainable future for us all without damaging our climate and wildlife.
“And public bodies in Wales must make sure that they don’t invest in the fossil fuel industry through pension funds or any other means.”
South Wales Central AM Andrew RT Davies said it was vital support was put in place for staff.
He said: “The closure of Aberthaw Power Station will mark the end of an era, with the site having been a power station for generations.
“Obviously, with the increasing reliance on renewables, this news was expected and the site has been on notice for some time.
“But it is vital proper support and arrangements are now put in place for the staff working on the site, so that we can find them other roles.
“Also, many residents have contacted me over recent months expressing concerns over what may happen to the site when the plant closes. It is therefore crucial that proper safeguards are put in place for when decommissioning occurs.”