Ironbridge Power Station switch off date still not set
The future of Ironbridge Power Station remains uncertain, it was revealed today.
For more than 80 years, it has been the powerhouse of Shropshire.
But the steaming cooling towers, which were built in the 1960s, could vanish from the county's landscape in the not-too-distant future.
At the start of the year it was confirmed the power station at Buildwas would close before the end of the year, although the long-term future of the site remains unclear.
It is owned by power company E.ON, which still says there is no set date for the closure of the power station.
Spokeswoman Roxanne Postle said today: "Like many other power stations around the country, the EU's Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD) requires Ironbridge to close after generating for 20,000 hours from January 1, 2008 or by the end of 2015, whichever comes first.
"Ironbridge will continue to operate within the LCPD limitations.
Further information regarding the decommissioning process will be given in due course."
Under European Union directives, ageing plants like Ironbridge have been legally limited in the emissions they can produce, and Ironbridge's operating hours have been restricted since 2008.
While some obsolete power stations are being mothballed in the event of future energy shortages, Miss Postle ruled out any chance of that for the Ironbridge site.
The site briefly gained a new lease of life in 2012 when it was given permission for a trial of the use of biofuel, bringing 100 new jobs to the station.
However, E.ON does not plan to re-licence the station as a biomass plant beyond this year's closure date.
The trial was criticised by green campaigners, who claimed that the biofuel used – imported wood pellets – were being produced from important forests in America.
But while the power station has come in for much criticism from environmentalists over the past few years — it was branded a 'dinosaur' by pressure group Friends of the Earth, which labelled it as the Midlands' prime environmental culprit — there are people who want to see the site preserved for future generations.
