For those of our members / readers who don't like coal fired power stations ...

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

... and I understand there are a few of you 

Video coverage, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page). 

A "triple explosive demolition" has taken place at what was one of the last remaining coal-fired power stations in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom).

Footage showed the moment two absorbers and a coal boom stacker were demolished at West Burton A power station on Thursday morning, as part of work to turn the site into the UK's first prototype commercial nuclear fusion reactor.

Constructed in 1961, the plant was situated in "Megawatt Valley", near the River Trent, where the cooling towers of 14 power stations once dominated the landscape.

The plant closed in March 2023 and the site is due to be cleared by 2028.

It's a video report, so you will need to click on the link to the BBC to enjoy view.

I've watched it three times now: I think it's great! CfN^▸ (Chris from Nailsea, an administrator on this forum). 

[stuving]

Lest you get the idea that those absorbers demolished last year were part of the original 1961-1966 build, they were in fact part of the flue gas desulphurisation system installed 2000-2003 (along with new chimneys). You may recall that our Scandinavian friends had been complaining for many years about acid rain, and this was the response.

Note that West Burton B plant was planned later on, to be equipped with FGD from the start, but was never built and that name now applies to a gas power station (CCGT^▸ (Combined Cycle Gas Turbine)).

[johnneyw]

I've watched it three times now: I think it's great! CfN^▸ (Chris from Nailsea, an administrator on this forum). 

It somehow reminded me of one of those unfolding disaster sequences in a old episode of Thunderbirds.

[broadgage]

Good news for the environment, but a bit worrying from the energy security point of view.
I hoped that greater progress would have been made towards increasing renewable power generation, and increasing large scale electricity storage.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I rather thought that my even starting this topic would rattle the bars of your cage, broadgage. 

[stuving]

Good news for the environment, but a bit worrying from the energy security point of view.
I hoped that greater progress would have been made towards increasing renewable power generation, and increasing large scale electricity storage.

What you want is one thing, what you're likely to get is another. In this case, for example, SSE^» (Scottish and Southern Energy - website) Hydrogen Developments are currently going through planning (a DCO^▸ (Development Consent Order, or Driver Controlled Operation (that is, operation and dispatch of the train solely by the driver even with another member of staff on board), depending on context)) for "Ferrybridge Next Generation Power Station". The main proposal is for 1.2 GW^» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about) from two gas turbines burning hydrogen, but with options for combined or open cycle and for some or all of the fuel to be natural gas if there's not enough hydrogen available to start with. Pre-application consultation new open.