RWE has announced plans to close the 1560 MW Aberthaw B coal fired power station in Wales.
The Germany-based energy giant said that the “challenging” conditions for coal fired power generation in the UK were the main reason for its decision. It has proposed March 2020 as the closure date.
For nearly 50 years the plant has played an invaluable role in helping to secure the energy supplies across the UK electricity system and we are very proud of its flexibility and resilience,” said Tom Glover, Chief Commercial Officer of RWE Generation and RWE UK Country Chair. “With our flexible gas and biomass power station portfolio, RWE will remain an important player in the UK energy market.”
Aberthaw B started operating in 1971 and directly employs around 170 people. The decision to close the plant will help to contribute to RWE’s goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
RWE said that it planned to transfer Aberthaw Power Station’s existing Capacity Market agreements for the years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 to third parties, and a small proportion to other units within RWE’s fleet.
