Aberthaw power stations

Two coal-fired power stations once stood side by side on the shores of Limpert Bay, near the villages of Gileston and West Aberthan in the Vale of Glamorgan. The first, Aberthaw A, began generating power in 1960 and officially opened in 1963 under the Central Electricity Generating Board. Its six turbo-alternators produced 600 MW, cooled by seawater and fuelled by pulverised Welsh coal. The later Aberthaw B, completed in 1971, housed three larger turbo-alternators with a combined output of 1,399 MW. Both stations burned up to 6,000 tonnes of fuel daily, mostly Welsh coal delivered by rail from local collieries. The site pioneered environmental technologies. In 2006 a £100 million flue-gas desulphurisation system was installed to cut sulphur dioxide emissions by 90 per cent. A smaller carbon-capture trial ran in 2020, consuming 1 MW while testing whether the technology could scale up. Plans for a nuclear station were considered in 2006 but never progressed. By 2015 the European Commission took the UK government to court over excess nitrogen oxides, highlighting the station’s environmental impact. Today the power station is being dismantled. The turbine hall and deaerator bays were demolished in 2026, followed by the 150-metre chimney. A large fire broke out during the process, requiring crews from across South East Wales to bring it under control. The site has been bought by the Cardiff Capital Region for £8 million and is being cleared to become a clean energy hub on 500 acres of coastal land.