Willington Power Station was a pair of now decommissioned coal-fired power stations that were constructed in the 1950s. The two stations were built on a site off Twyford Road, between Willington and Findern in Derbyshire, England. The two power stations had an installed capacity totaling 804 M.W.
History
Willington 'A' Power Station was first commissioned in late 1957 and contained four 104 M.W. generating units consisting of International Combustion boilers and English Electric turbo-alternator sets. The final unit was commissioned in July 1959 and station was officially opened by the 11th Duke of Devonshire on 2 October that year. Each unit, when on full load, would burn approximately 1,000 tons of coal per day, and of this coal there remained some 200 tons of ash which had to be disposed of by pumping through pipe lines and by road transport.
Willington 'B' Power Station was commissioned in 1961 and contained four 120 M.W. generating units consisting of Babcock & Wilcox boilers and English Electric turbo-alternator sets. The final unit was commissioned in March 1962.
Both stations were operated by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) until privatization in the 1990s. Willington 'A' Power Station closed in 1995 and Willington 'B' Power Station closed in 1999.
Future
The future of the former Willington Power Station site is uncertain. The site has been partially demolished and the cooling towers have been left standing. There have been plans to develop the site for housing and commercial use, but these plans have not yet been approved.
In 2011, planning permission was granted to develop up to 2,000MW of Combined Cycle Gas Turbine plant and 400MW of Open Cycle Gas Turbine plant on the site. However, these plans have been delayed due to the economic downturn.
The future of the former Willington Power Station site is likely to depend on the development of the local economy and the availability of funding.
Location
Wilington Power station is in Derby (See map below)
Attempts
I live far from this place, so I have only been able to visit it on a few occasions.
The first time I visited, the wind was too strong to fly.
The second time, the weather was good enough to fly, but when I checked the NAT's app, I saw that the runway areas had changed since I last checked.
I called Derby Air Club, but there was nothing I could do on that day.
This was my third attempt to visit the place, and I was finally able to fly.
I had agreed with Derby Air Club on my flight details in advance.
Getting permission
Getting permission was quite painless. I needed:
- Weight and type of drone
- Proof of insurance
- Details on where and how high I would be flying
- A call on the day to say when I was starting and stopping my flight
Photos of the cooling towers
I love the photos that I managed to get of the Willington Power Station
Willington Power Station Video
Here is my video. It's a bit long (I know) but I love this kind of thing.
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel.
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