Thorpe Marsh Power Station

Infobox UK power station
static_

static_image_caption= Thorpe Marsh power station's cooling towers.
os_grid_reference=SE605097
latitude=53.580602
longitude=-1.08534
country=England
region=Yorkshire and the Humber
shire_county=South Yorkshire
operator= Central Electricity Generating Board
fuel= Coal-fired
fuel_capacity=1,000 MW
opened=1963
closed=1994

Thorpe Marsh Power Station was a 1 Gigawatt (GW) (1000 MW) coal-fired power station near Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England.

History

The station was commissioned in 1959 and was built as a prototype for all the large modern power stations in the UK. It opened in 1963. It contained 2 generating sets powered by coal, and had a gas turbine set using an industrial static version of a Rolls-Royce Avon aero engine with a capacity of 14.9 MW. On 7 January 1973 four workmen died. The CEGB was put under investigation for breaches in safety provisions but they were found to have all died accidental deaths. [cite web
title = Thorpe Marsh Power Station (Workmen's Deaths)
work = HANSARD
publisher =
url = http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1973/mar/05/thorpe-marsh-power-station-workmens
accessdate = 2008-08-06]

Post-Closure

The station has been closed since 1994 and the convert|45|acre|abbr=on site was accquired by Able UK in 1995. [cite web
title = Thorpe Marsh
work = Able UK
publisher =
url = http://www.ableuk.com/propertydev-thorpemarsh.htm
accessdate = 2008-08-06] Much of the station has been demolished and now only its six cooling towers (each convert|340|ft|abbr=on high and convert|260|ft|abbr=on in diameter at the base), two ash slurry hoppers, railway sidings and the station's large adjacent electricity switching station still remain. The switching station was nearly flooded during the 2007 Yorkshire flood, which would have knocked the grid out according to news reports. The structures still stand now because it is feared that any explosion would cause the banks of the nearby canal to rupture. [cite web
title = Thorpe Marsh Power Station
work = Urban Exploration in Doncaster, Yorkshire
publisher =
url = http://www.derelicte.co.uk/thorpe-marsh-power-station
accessdate = 2008-08-06] They also contain asbestos, which would contaminate land for miles around the site. There have been several controversial proposals for the site, including a car distribution depot and more recently a huge landfill site, neither of which have proven popular with the local residents. [cite web
title = Thorpe Marsh Power Station
work = CBLex
publisher =
url = http://wikimapia.org/102191/
accessdate = 2008-08-06]

The power station featured in the final episode of the 1999 ITV drama, "The Last Train".

References

External links

* [http://www.derelicte.co.uk/thorpe-marsh-power-station Thorpe Marsh Power Station - photos taken in 2006]
* [http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199293/cmhansrd/1993-06-16/Debate-20.html Parliament Discussion about the closure of Thorpe Marsh Power Station]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caLuLdPcvuQ&feature=related The cooling towers in the final episode of The Last Train]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzXGxm9817Q A video exploring the inside of one of the cooling towers]