List of cooling towers at UK power stations

This is a historical list of cooling towers associated with UK public electricity supply power stations. The list includes both wooden and reinforced concrete (RC) hyperboloid cooling towers. Spray ponds and finned tube cooling arrays are not included.

Background Power station cooling towers are used where there is insufficient water available from a source, e.g. a river or lake, to meet the cooling requirements of the power station. Cooling towers have been a feature of towns and cities since the 1900s and of the Midlands, Lancashire and South Yorkshire landscapes (particularly along the River Trent and the River Ouse) since the late 1950s.

From their peak numbers in the 1950s, there are now significantly fewer power stations with cooling towers. This has been driven by the demolition of urban power stations and of older, less efficient, stations.UK Parliament, Hansard Written Answers 16 January 1984 Coal-fired power stations In 1966 there were 241cooling towers in operation; by 1984 this had fallen to 139 towers. Privatisation of the electricity industry in 1990 increased the rate of demolition, as further low efficiency power stations were decommissioned. The phasing out of coal for fueling power stations has virtually eliminated cooling towers from the UK landscape.

List of cooling towers at UK power stations Cooling tower capacity is given in millions of UK gallons per hour (mgph) of cooling water flow; 1 mgph = 1.263 m3/s.

Power station Cooling tower(s): number, type, capacity and manufacturer Constructed Demolished Acton Lane A

B 5 × wood, 1 × RC Davenport, total 5.545 mgph

2 × 2.25 mgph Kier 1946

1954–58 1983Agecroft B and C 2 × 3.08 mgph Mouchel 1950-62 1994 Ashford B 1 × 0.16 mgph induced draft 1954-55 1989 Barrow-in-Furness 3 × wood, total 0.45 mgph, 1 × concrete 1.0 mgph 1899 1962 Beckenham 1 × 0.1 mgph Premier Blackburn 1 × 1.8 mgph Davenport

1 × 2.25 mgph 1942-43. 1952 1976 Blackburn Meadows 3 × concrete, 4 × wood

total 10.5 mgph 1931-33 2008 Blackpool 3 = 1.055 mgph Bold A

B 2 × 2.8 mgph

3 × 2.75 mgph 1950-53

1953- 1981

1992 Bolton 1 ×2.5 mgph Mouchel RC 1923 1979 Bradford 12 × timber total 5.335 mgph, 1× 1.25 mgph RC 1925-49 1976 Brimsdown B 5 ×1.32 mgph +

2 × 1.56 mgph 1928-55 1976 Bristol 2 × wood 0.9 mgph Film 1928 1959 Bury 2 × 0.25 mgph Peter Brotherhood 1930 1970 Cardiff 2 × 2.2 mgph RC 2 × wood 0.24 mgph 1922-43 1970 Castle Donington 4 × 4.5 mgph 1951-58 1994 Chadderton A

B 6 × chimney type 1.8 mgph Premier

3 × 3.5 mgph Fred Mitchell 1929

1950 1982 Connah's Quay 3 × 2.5 mgph -1957 1992 Cottam 8 × RC, each 6.75 mgph, 114 m high, Film 1964-70 2025 Coventry 4 × 0.6 mgph, 2 × 0.75 mgph, 1 × 1.5 mgph 1928, 1938, 1941 1976 Croydon A

B 7 × wood, 3 × concrete total 4.285 mgph

6 × 2.5 mgph 1924

1947- 1974 Darlington 1 × Mouchel, 2 × Davenport, total 3.15 mgph 1940-43 1976 Didcot 6 × 11.4 m3/s, RC 114 m high 91 m diam. Film 1965-70 2014, 2019 Drakelow C 6 × RC, 110 m high 1961-63 2006 Drax 12 × RC, 114 m high 92 m diam. Bierrum 1967-71, 1979–86 Operational Eggborough 8 × RC, 90 m high Davenport 1962-67 2021 Ferrybridge C 8 × RC, 115 m high, Film 1961-67 2019, 2022 Fiddler's Ferry 8 × RC, 114 m high 1967-71 2023 (part) Fleetwood 2 × 3.0 mgph 1950-55 1981 Folkestone 3 × Davenport, total 0.348 mgph 1922-26 1960 Frome 2 × wood total 0.195 mgph Davenport Goldington 4 ×1.2 mgph RC 1951-58 1986 Greenhill 5 × chimney type 1.35 mgph Premier 1924 1960 Grimsby 3 × wood, 3 × concrete, total 2.47 mgph Film, Davenport, Henshaw, Mitchell 1924-39 Late 1960s Grove Road 14, total 5.424 mgph 1902 1969 Hackney B 1 × 2.25 mgph wood 1954-57 1976 Halifax 6, total 2.9 mgph 1950s Late 1960s Hams Hall A

C 6 × 2.66 mgph Henshaw, Mitchell

4 × 5.0 mgph Michell

3 1929-39

1942–49

1958 1978

1985

1993 Hartshead 1 ×2.75 mgph, 1 × 2.5 mgph Davenport 1927-49 1979 High Marnham 5 × RC, total 27 mgph 1955-59 2012 Horden 2 Premier, total 0.499 mgph Huddersfield 3 × 2.6 mgph Davenport 1938-55 1981 Huncoat 2 × 3 mgph Film 1947-55 1988 Ince 4 × 2.75 mgph 1957 1999 Islington 10, total 1.837 mgph Ironbridge B 4 × RC Film 1963-68 2019 Kirkstall 2 × 2.5 mgph Davenport 1930-43 1976 Kearsley B

C 3 × 2.82 mgph Mitchell

2 ×2.82 mgph Mitchell 1980 Kendal 1 × 0.06 mgph Frodingham Letchworth 2 × 0.42 mgph Mouchel 1976 Lincoln 6 × 0.67 mgph RC 1977 Lister Drive 5 × Henshaw RC, total 2.615 mgph 1926-28 1981 Llynfi 1 × 2.5 mgph

1 × 3.0 mgph 1942-48 After 1977 Luton 2 × 1.0 mgph Mouchel RC 1901 1969 Lydney 1 × concrete, 1 × wood, total 0.95 mgph 1923 1967 Macclesfield 1 × 0.03 mgph Davenport 1955 Late 1960s Manchester (Stuart Street) 4 × Davenport, 1 × Mouchel, total 8.0 mgph 1949 1976 Marchwiel 3 × 0.255 mgph, wood Davenport,1 × 0.3 mgph RC 1950 1960 Meaford A

B 2 × 2.8 mgph Davenport

3 × 3.15 mgph 1945-47

1951–57 1976

1991 Mexborough 2 × Mitchell, total 2.68 mgph 1981 Nechells A Nechells B35 wood total 6.057 mgph Davenport 3 × 4.0 mgph RC Mitchell1948-53 1984 Neepsend 3 × 3.5 mgph 1936-50 1976 Northampton 1 × Mouchel, 1 × Moss, total 4.0 mgph 1976 Ocker HIll 2 × 1.6 mgph, 1 × 2.376 mgph 1956 1978 Padiham B 2 × 3.6 mgph 1957- 1993 Ratcliffe-on-Soar 8 × RC Bierrum 1963-67 On going (2026) Richborough 3 × RC 1958-62 2012 Rogerstone 2 × 2.25 mgph 1955-58 1991 Rotherham 2 × 1.875 mgph Michell 1978 Rugeley B 4 × RC Bierrum 1964-70 2021 Rye House 3 × 1.3 mgph Davenport 1947-53 1982 St. Helens 6 × wood, total 1.11 mgph Late 1960s St. Marylebone 4 × Klein, total 3.14 mgph Sculcoates 9 × wood Davenport, total 3.24 mgph, 1 × 2.5 mgph Mouchel RC 1927-46 1976 Skelton Grange A

B 3 × 3.25 mgph

4 × 3.8 mgph 1946-51

1958–60 1983

1995 Stockport 3, total 2.8 mgph 1976 Stoke-on-Trent 7 × Davenport wood, total 1.783 mgph 1919-29 1975 Sunderland 1 × 1.65 mgph RC, 1 × 1.25 mgph wood 1925-26, 1942 1976 Taylor's Lane 2 × RC, 4 × wood, total 3.905 mgph 1904-64 1972 Thanet 2 × Davenport, total 0.448 mgph 1964 Thornhill 2 × 3.0 mgph RC 1950-54 1982 Thorpe Marsh 4 × RC Film 1959-63 2012 Tunbridge Wells 3 × wood, total 0.62 mgph 1924-28 Upper Boat 1 × 2.25 mgph RC 1904 1976 Wakefield B 2 × 3.75 mgph Davenport Walsall 6 × 1.6 mgph Mitchell 1949 1982 Walthamstow 5 × wood, total 1.115 mgph Watford 2 × 0.25 mgph Film, 1 × 0.2 mgph Davenport 1969-70 West Burton 8 × RC, each 6.75 mgph Davenport 1961-67 On-going (2026) West Ham B 2 × 2.8 mgph Kier 1947-49 1984 Westwood 2 × 3.0 mgph Michell 1949-53 1989 Willington A and B 5 × RC 1953-61 Extant York 1 × 1 mgph Mouchel 1941-56 1976 Accrington 4 × wood Brotherhood, total 0.98 mgph 1921-27 Before 1960 Barugh 2 × Davenport 0.5 mgph 1958 Blaydon 2 = 0.222 mgph Before 1960 Bonnybridge 2 × Davenport RC 1.5 mgph, 2 × wood 0.175 mgph Before 1960 Clyde's Mill 2 × 1.5 mgph Before 1960 Faversham Visco 0.01 mgph Before 1960 Horsham 0.032 mgph Before 1960 Ilford 2 × 0.32 mgph Before 1960 Kettering 3 × Davenport 0.529 mgph Before 1960 Kilmarnock 1 × Davenport 1 × Mouchel total 1.85 mgph Before 1960Leicester 6 × Mitchel 4.2 mgph, 2 × Concrete Piling 1.35 mgph 1928-39, 1959–50Little Barford 1 × FCT 2.5 mgph Maidstone 1 × 0.32 mgph Before 1960 Middlesbrough Davenport wood 0.12 mgph Before 1960Port Sunlight 1 × 0.7 mgph Davenport RC Before 1960Ramsgate 2 × 0.225 mgph 1958 Rawtenstall 1 × 0.22 mgph Premier Before 1960Scarborough 2 × wood 0.34 mgph Premier Before 1960Southport 2 × 0.3 mgph Brotherhood Southwark 2 × wood Davenport 0.75 mgph Before 1960Swindon 4 × Davenport 3 wood; 1 RC total 1.75 mgph Before 1960Weston-super-Mare 1 × Balcke 0.08 mgph, 1 × Davenport 0.2 mgph Before 1960

List of cooling towers at UK power stations

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