Uskmouth B Power Station

History

What better way to kick it off than with 14 power stations?

Built in 1959, this little power station was built in the south of Wales at a strategic point for the National Grid, as there are few power stations down that neck of the woods. At the height of production this station produced 393 megawatts - enough to power 390,000 homes - and was considered one of the cleanest coal fired power stations in the UK. Alas, this title alone was not enough to slow the tide of the decline of coal over the 21st century and the plant burnt its last piece of coal in April 2017. The station lay dormant from then until 2022 when dismantlement began after plans for turning it into a Drax-style dual-fuel biomass plant all but fell through.

Contrary to common assumption, Uskmouth was not dubbed one of the cleanest coal power stations in the UK because of its small size and hence low natural emissions, but rather because of its addition of Flue Gas Desulphurisation equipment and low NOx burners. The former significantly helped to reduce acid rain by essentially filling the precipitators with limestone, which absorbs SO2 (the compound responsible for causing sulfuric acid to fall from the sky as rain).

Despite being just a small power station in comparison to other notable disused coal power plants in the UK, there is nothing that can quite compare to the sheer size of everything that you come across when entering a site such as this. From the coal conveyors to the ash hoppers, everything you come across is just so much bigger than you that it is easy to feel as if humans may merely be a cog in the machine rather than the operator of such an extensive, complex enterprise.

The power was still running throughout the site and most lights were still on.

The control rooms were relatively small, corresponding to the plant’s smaller general size than other coal power stations of its era.

Computer screens still ran, displaying the current status of the plant.

The second control room had no power to its main lights, making it feel much more deserted than the previous.

The screens still displayed the original Uskmouth control interface.

The red colour scheme of the turbine hall continued into the boiler house.

The backrooms of the power station still had remnants of past employees strewn throughout.

The admin block was littered with documents left from the power station's active time.

The chimney system of Uskmouth B contained FGD to reduce SO2 emissions.

The new gas Severn Power Station built next-door on the site of the old Uskmouth A.