Didcot A Power Station

idcot A is a dual-fired power station, which began commercial operation in 1970. The station can generate 2,000MW of electricity - enough power to meet the needs of some 2 million households.

Didcot A was originally designed as a coal-fired station. Three of the four 500MW generating units have now been converted to dual-firing, enabling the station to use natural gas as an alternative to coal. In addition, the station has the capability to use biomass fuels such as sawdust and wood chips on all four units. As well as the main units, the station has four gas turbines capable of providing additional support to the National Grid system when required.

Didcot A operates as an opted out station under the Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD). This means that Didcot A can operate for up to 20,000 hours between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2015, when the station will have to close. But even though we've opted out at Didcot A, we're still working hard to bring down emission limits - we have recently invested over £80 million in plant upgrades to reduce our environmental impact.