| Blackburn power station | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Location | Blackburn Lancashire |
| Coordinates | 53°45′36″N 02°26′54″W / 53.76000°N 2.44833°W |
| Status | Decommissioned and demolished |
| Construction began | 1891 1918 (Blackburn East) 2000 (Blackburn Mill) |
| Commission date | 1895 1921 (Blackburn East) 2002 (Blackburn Mill) |
| Decommission date | 1946 1976 (Blackburn East) |
| Owner(s) | Blackburn Corporation (1890–1948) British Electricity Authority (1948–1955) Central Electricity Authority (1955–1957) Central Electricity Generating Board (1958–1976) Scottish Power (2002–2019) Drax Power Limited (2019–2021) VPI Holdings Ltd (2021–to date) |
| Operator(s) | As owner |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Coal (Blackburn and Whitebirk), Natural Gas (Blackburn Mill) |
| Cooling towers | 4 (Blackburn and Whitebirk), 2 (Blackburn Mill) |
| Cooling source | Circulating water cooling towers, |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 2 × 2 MW, 1 × 0.75 MW (1923); 1 × 32 MW, 3 × 42 MW (1955); 1 × 43 MW + 1 × 20 MW (2002) |
| Make and model | 32 MW and 42 MW English Electric turbo-alternators, 43 MW Siemens SGT800 gas turbine |
| Nameplate capacity | 24.78 MW (1923); 143 MW (1955-1972); 60 MW (2002-) |
| Annual net output | see table and graph |
Blackburn power stations are a series of electricity generating stations that have provided electric power to the town of Blackburn and the wider area from 1895 to the present. The first station in Jubilee Street, Blackburn began operating in 1895. A new larger station known as Blackburn East or Whitebirk power station was commissioned in 1921 and was rebuilt in stages over the period 1942 to 1955. Whitebirk station closed in 1976. The 60 MW Blackburn Mill Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power station has generated electricity since 2002. The Blackburn energy from waste (EfW) plant is currently (2020) being planned.