Ironbridge Power Station

The first power station on this site was Ironbridge A, built by the West Midlands Joint Electricity Authority and commissioned in 1932 with full 200 MW output achieved in 1939. Ironbridge B was commenced in 1963 and full 1000 MW capacity reached with the commissioning of the second 500 MW unit in February 1970. The A station was closed in 1981 and demolished in 1983. Currently operated by E.ON UK it has recently been proposed that it should be closed by 2015. It is served by a rail link that brings in up to seven coal trains a day.

Great care was taken to ensure that the station was well hidden from the surrounding heritage sites around Ironbridge. In addition the cooling towers were deliberately constructed using concrete to which a red pigment had been added, to blend with the colour of the local soil. This added £11,000 to the construction costs. The station's single 205 m (670 ft) high chimney is fifth tallest chimney in the UK.