History of Willington

RWE npower, and its predecessor National Power, has been involved in generating power at Willington for many years. In fact, many former Willington A and B Power Station employees and their families still live in the local area.

Over the years, RWE npower has delivered significant investment into the local economy and provided support for many community projects. We intend to continue working with the local community and are committed to being a good neighbour.

The former, coal fired Willington A Power Station was officially opened by the Duke of Devonshire in October, 1959. Immediately after its opening, construction work began on Willington B, which started generating electricity in 1962.

Willington A had four generating units with a total capacity of around 400MW and its two chimneys were almost 130 metres high. Its two cooling towers, which still stand today, are 91 metres high. Willington B had two, 200 MW generating units, giving the site a total capacity of 800MW.

Willington A and B power stations were closed in 1995 and 1999 respectively. They have since been demolished but their cooling towers, some foundation structures and other infrastructure, was retained. The proposed Willington C Power Station, if implemented, would be constructed on the site of these existing facilities.

RWE npower’s plans for a new state-of-the-art gas fired power station at Willington mean that it could once again play a role in UK power generation and the economic success of the area.

The Willington A and B Power Stations' cooling towers