Fire at Tilbury coal generation plant
The fire broke out at the Tilbury 'A' power station around 3 p.m., and eight fire brigades are in attendance. The fire is thought to have broken out in one of the plant's turbines, but there is no indication if this will impact power generation.
Speaking to the press, a firefighter said, "Firefighters are tackling the blaze, which is in a power station measuring 200 metres by 300 metres — 25% of the station is well alight. Eight pumps and an aerial ladder platform are now involved in firefighting operations."
According to RWE npower, the plant was offline for routine maintenance when the blaze broke out.
The Tilbury 'A' station was commissioned in 1956 by the CEGB and was followed by Tilbury 'B' 1968. Today it is operated by RWE npower, part of German power company RWE AG. The station has four generating units with a combined capacity of 1,428-megawatts, enough power for 1.4 million people, approximately 80% of the population of Essex. The station is connected to the National Grid by a nearby 275-kilovolt substation.
Related News
What's at stake if Davis-Besse and other nuclear plants close early?
LOS ANGELES - A national nuclear lobby wants to remind people what's at stake for Ohio and Pennsylvania if FirstEnergy Solutions follows through with plans to shut down three nuclear plants over the next three years, including its Davis-Besse nuclear plant east of Toledo.
A report issued Monday by Nuclear Matters largely echoes concerns raised by FES, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., and other supporters of nuclear power about economic and environmental hardships that will likely result from the planned closures.
Along with Davis-Besse, Perry nuclear plant east of Cleveland and the twin-reactor Beaver Valley nuclear complex west of Pittsburgh are slated…
