:Uskmouth power stations

Uskmouth A power station was authorised in 1947, and building started in April 1948. The first generating set was commissioned in December 1952, followed by other sets in September 1953, March 1954, September 1954, June 1956 and finally December 1956 for a set scrapped in January 1956.{{cite web|url=http://www.uskmouthpower.com/index.php?page=about-uskmouth|title=The history of power generation at Uskmouth|access-date=2008-11-19

|publisher=Welsh Power}}{{Cite book|editor-last=Garrett|editor-first=Frederick C. |title=Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56|publisher=Electrical Press|year=1959|location=London|pages=A-103, A-137}} It comprised four Fraser and Chalmers / GEC 60 MW hydrogen cooled 11.8 kV turbo-alternators, these were supplied with steam at 62.1 bar and 482 °C.CEGB Statistical Yearbook, 1981, CEGB, London. The 12 Babcock and Wilcox pulverised fuel boilers were capable of delivering 320.0 kg/s of steam.

The generating capacity and output of the station was as follows.{{Cite book|last=CEGB|title=CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1972|publisher=CEGB|year=1972|location=London|pages=11}}CEGB, Annual report and accounts, 1961, 1962 & 1963

On 18 January 1956, the No. 5 60-MW generator, a conventional steam turbine with a low pressure rotor driving a hydrogen cooled generator, suffered a catastrophic overspeed event. In the resulting explosion, two workers were killed and nine injured, and the turbine and generator were completely destroyed. Wreckage from the blast was propelled through the walls of the building and thrown as far as several hundred yards. Remarkably, the remaining four generator sets, which operating under full loads, experienced no interruption in operation.{{cite journal |last1=Lindley |first1=A.L.G. |last2=Brown |first2=F.H.S. |title=Failure of a 60-MW Steam Turbo-Generator at Uskmouth Power Station |journal=Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers |date=1958 |volume=172 |issue=1 |pages=627-653 |doi=10.1243/PIME_PROC_1958_172_050_02 |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1243/PIME_PROC_1958_172_050_02?journalCode=pmea |access-date=7 September 2023|url-access=subscription }}

The A station was closed on 26 October 1981 with a generating capacity of 228 megawatts.{{cite web|author=Mr. Redmond|title=Coal-fired Power Stations|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1984/jan/16/coal-fired-power-stations#S6CV0052P0_19840116_CWA_281|work=Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)|date=16 January 1984|access-date=1 September 2009}} The station was demolished in 2002.

Uskmouth B power station (or Uskmouth Power as it is now known) was authorised in May 1957 and built in 1959.{{cite news|first=Aled|last=Blake|title=£400m power station may create 645 jobs|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/tm_objectid=15752266&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=-pound-400m--power-station-may---create-645-jobs-----name_page.html |agency=Western Mail|work=Wales Online|date=19 July 2005|access-date=2008-11-19}} It had a generating capacity of 363 MW, which is enough to power 360,000 homes, or the surrounding area of Newport.{{cite web|url=http://www.lexiconpartners.com/uploads/04%2025%20Sale%20of%20Uskmouth%20Power%20Station%20by%20the%20Rutland%20Fund.pdf |title=SALE OF POWER STATION BY THE RUTLAND FUND|access-date=2008-11-19|date=25 April 2006|work=Lexicon Partners}} The electricity was provided by three 110 MW generating sets. Uskmouth B was one of the CEGB’s twenty steam power stations with the highest thermal efficiency at the time; in 1963–4 the thermal efficiency was 32.15 per cent, 32.72 per cent in 1964–5, and 32.89 per cent in 1965–6.{{Cite book|last=CEGB|title=CEGB Statistical Yearbooks 1964, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1982|publisher=CEGB|year=1966|location=London|pages=26, 26, 20}} The pulverised fuel boilers were capable of delivering 324.0 kg/s of steam at 103.4 bar and 538 °C. It was situated in an essential position for the National Grid, as there are very few power stations situated in the south of Wales. The annual electricity output of Uskmouth B was:

It was officially opened on Friday June 14 1963 by David Lewis, 1st Baron Brecon, it had cost £19.5m.Times Saturday June 15 1963, page 6

Initially operated by the Central Electricity Generating Board, the station's operations were handed over to National Power with privatisation in 1990. The station was then closed in 1995.{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalgrid.com/UK/library/documents/sys_03/dddownloaddisplay.asp?sp=sys_Table3_7 |title=Generation disconnections since 1991|access-date=5 October 2009|year=2003|publisher=National Grid|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20030508220159/http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/library/documents/sys_03/dddownloaddisplay.asp?sp=sys_Table3_7 |archive-date=8 May 2003|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} But in 1998, it was purchased by AES.{{cite web|url=http://www.engineeringtalk.com/news/rot/rot109.html |title=Rotork actuators in power station refurbishment|access-date=2008-11-19|date=18 October 2000|work=Engineering Talk}} The station was given a £120 million refurbishment to bring it up to date with legislative requirements. New environmental equipment was installed and it was given a refurbishment which is thought to have extended the station's life by 25 years. The station's generating capacity was also increased to 393 MW. In 2001 the work was completed and the station was reopened. However, only a year later the plant passed into receivership, but had a brief period of operating in the winter between 2003 and 2004. In June 2004 the station was put back into full operation, when it was bought by Welsh Power, who were then known as Carron Energy. Welsh Power sold it to SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy plc) in 2009 for £27m.{{cite web|url=http://www.sse.com/SSEInternet/index.aspx?id=20316&terms=uskmouth&searchtype=1&fragment=True |title=Acquisition of Uskmouth power station|access-date=2010-09-26|publisher=Scottish and Southern Energy}} In April 2013 one of the three remaining blocks was closed, leaving the power station with a remaining generation capacity of 260 MW.{{cite web|url=http://sse.com/media/227259/UskmouthPowerStationClosure9May2014.pdf |title=Uskmouth power station closure|access-date=2015-05-06|publisher= Scottish and Southern Energy}}

File:Uskmouth Power Station from Newport Wetlands Centre.JPG]]

The station was one of the cleanest coal-fired power stations in the United Kingdom,{{cite web|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2007/12/08/steelmaker-s-efforts-to-improve-environmental-impact-sees-co2-levels-halved-since-the-1970s-91466-20222335/ |title=Steelmaker's efforts to improve environmental impact sees CO2 levels halved since the 1970s|access-date=2008-11-21|work=Wales Online|date=8 December 2007}}{{cite web

|url=http://www.vwio.com/new-news.html |title=Veolia Water Industrial Outsourcing has signed a 10-year outsourcing contract with Uskmouth Power|access-date=2008-11-20|work=Veolia Water}}{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmwelaf/876/87605.htm |title=Clean Coal Technology|access-date=2008-11-21|work=UK Parliament Publications and Records}} and was fitted with flue-gas desulphurisation equipment and low NO_x burners. It also burnt biomass, as well as coal, for its emissions to be considered closer to being carbon neutral. The station did not take water from or dump waste water into the River Usk. It instead used secondary treated sewage water in its cooling system.{{cite web|url=http://www.uskmouthpower.com/index.php?page=water |title=Water|access-date=2008-11-19|publisher=Welsh Power}}

The station employed 90 people. It was awarded RoSPA Gold Award for Occupational Health and Safety for its efforts to ensure station safety. The station's owners participated in many local community projects – they donated land to the Newport Wetlands Reserve, and sponsor Welsh swimmer David Davies and the Newport Gwent Dragons.{{cite web|url=http://www.uskmouthpower.com/ |title=Welcome to Uskmouth Power|access-date=2008-11-19|publisher=Welsh Power}}

The station was earmarked for closure in 2014 and subsequently mothballed.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-27344515|title=Coal-fired power station at Uskmouth to shut|date=9 May 2014|work=BBC News}} However, in 2015, plans were announced to instead convert the station to run fully on pellets of biomass and waste plastic, as part of a scheme to regenerate the area and create hundreds of jobs.{{cite news|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/uskmouth-power-station-reopens-move-9516527 |work=Wales Online|publisher=Media Wales|title=Uskmouth Power Station reopens in a move securing 40 jobs as owners confirm ambitious energy hub plans|first=Sion|last=Barry |date=25 June 2015}} These plans then took priority and as a result, Uskmouth saw very infrequent use as a coal plant; with April 2017 being the last occasion.{{cite web|url=https://www.carbonbrief.org/countdown-to-2025-tracking-the-uk-coal-phase-out |work=Carbon Brief|title=Countdown to 2025: Tracking the UK coal phase out|first=Simon|last=Evans |date=10 February 2016}}{{cite news |url=http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/15916943.Newport_power_station_conversion_will_lead_to_hundreds_of_new_jobs/ |date=3 February 2018|newspaper=South Wales Argus|title=Uskmouth Power Station conversion will lead to hundreds of new jobs|first=Alice|last=Rose}}

In 2017, Simec Atlantis Energy joined a partnership to undertake this transformation by 2020.{{cite news|url=https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/208486/simec-atlantis-energy-surges-following-uskmouth-power-project-update-208486.html |title=SIMEC Atlantis Energy surges following Uskmouth power project update|date=5 November 2018|access-date=12 December 2018|publisher=Proactive Investors}} In 2019, it was reported that the plant would be running on 50% pellets of plastic and 50% pellets of cardboard and paper by 2021 and was expected to operate for 20 years.{{Cite web|url=https://www.positive.news/environment/power-move-the-coal-fired-plant-to-be-fuelled-by-plastic-waste/ |title=Power move: the coal-fired plant to be fuelled by plastic waste|date=2019-11-07|website=Positive News|language=en|access-date=2020-01-15}} However, in April 2022, Simec Atlantis Energy announced it was abandoning the waste-to-energy conversion project,{{cite web |url=https://www.newpower.info/2022/04/uskmouth-conversion-to-burn-waste-abandoned-battery-planned-for-site/ |title=Uskmouth conversion to burn waste abandoned; battery planned for site |website=newpower.info |date= 28 April 2022 |access-date=31 December 2023}}{{cite web |title=Uskmouth Conversion Project |url=https://saerenewables.com/sustainably-fuelled-generation/uskmouth-park/ |website=Uskmouth Sustainable Energy Park |publisher=Simec Atlantis Energy |access-date=7 September 2023}} following opposition from environmental groups{{cite news |last1=Hughes |first1=Marcus |title=Climate activists claim Uskmouth power station plan will emit 1,550,000 tonnes of carbon every year |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/uskmouth-power-carbon-emission-newport-19863475 |access-date=7 September 2023 |work=WalesOnline |publisher=Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales |date=23 February 2021}} and the call in of the conversion application by the Welsh Government.{{cite news |last1=Gill |first1=Emily |title=Why Newport Council has been 'barred' from Uskmouth Power Station decision |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/newport-council-been-barred-uskmouth-19799115 |access-date=7 September 2023 |work=WalesOnline |publisher=Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales |date=9 February 2021}}

In December 2023, the site's operator Simec Uskmouth Power Ltd obtained planning consent to demolish the station's two banks of cooling towers, with the demolition expected to be completed by May 2024.{{cite news |url=https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/23994767.demolition-cooling-towers-uskmouth-power-station-can-go-ahead/ |title=Demolition of cooling towers at Uskmouth Power Station can go ahead |work=South Wales Argus |date=18 December 2023 |access-date=30 December 2023}}

In January 2024, Simec was granted planning permission to construct a battery energy storage system on the site of the to-be-demolished cooling towers. Media reporting of this development also confirmed that Uskmouth B power station was decommissioned as of that date.{{cite news |last=Thomas |first=Nicholas |url=https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/24044910.battery-plant-open-site-uskmouth-b-power-station/ |title=Battery plant to open on site of Uskmouth B Power Station |work=South Wales Argus |date=13 January 2024 |access-date=25 November 2024}} In 2025, size was estimated at 250 MW for 5 hours.{{cite web |last1=Rayner |first1=Tristan |title=SAE and Econergy partner on five-hour battery storage project in the UK |url=https://www.ess-news.com/2025/05/19/sae-and-econergy-partner-on-250-mw-1-25-gwh-battery-storage-project-in-uk/ |website=Energy Storage |date=19 May 2025}}

An 832{{nbsp}}MW combined cycle power plant running on natural gas, known as Severn Power Station, was built on the site of Uskmouth A by Siemens. It comprises two gas turbines and two steam turbines, each operating on a single shaft, and entered commercial operations in November 2010. It was initially reported that it would cost £400 million to build and create 650 construction jobs.{{cite news |title=£400m power station bid approved |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/6953923.stm |format=STM |work=BBC News |date=21 August 2007 |access-date=2008-11-19}}

Originally owned and operated by the Danish company DONG Energy (now Ørsted), the station was acquired in December 2013 by MPF Holdings, which later changed its name to Calon Energy.{{cite web |title=Welcome to Severn Power Station |url=http://calonenergy.com/power-stations/severn-power/ |website=Calon Energy |access-date=6 September 2019}} The station was put into a 'dormant state' in August 2020 following Calon Energy entering administration.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-53895806 |title=Calon Energy's administrators put two power plants in 'dormant state' |work=BBC News |date=24 August 2020 |access-date=30 December 2023}}

In 2006, the station was used as a location for two episodes of Doctor Who. In the episodes "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel", the station was used as the setting for the Cybermen Factory.{{cite web|title=Uskmouth Power Station|url=https://www.doctorwholocations.net/locations/uskmouthpowerstation|website=Doctor Who - The Locations Guide|publisher=Chuck Foster, News In Time Space Ltd|access-date=8 September 2019}} It was then used again for the 2011 Christmas special "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe" as spaceship corridors, filmed on 20 September 2011.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b018nrhp|title=The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe - The Fourth Dimension|publisher=BBC|access-date=2 January 2012}} In 2014, the station was once again used for two episodes "Into the Dalek" and "Time Heist".{{cite web |title=Into the Dalek: Fact File |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5qnFcjp03Fy5423Y7mgWQnM/into-the-dalek-fact-file |access-date=6 September 2014 |website=Doctor Who |publisher=BBC One}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/157FmBBs8Nn9rRXjtrVDqC3/time-heist-the-fact-file|title=Time Heist: The Fact File |website=Doctor Who|publisher=BBC One|access-date=21 September 2014}}

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[https://imgur.com/gallery/BcfoqPower%20Station%20Turbine%20Overspeed%20failure%201958 Power Station Turbine Overspeed failure 1958]

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Category:Buildings and structures in Newport, Wales

Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 2002

Category:Coal-fired power stations in Wales

Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Wales

Category:Landmarks in Newport, Wales

Category:Demolished power stations in the United Kingdom