Longannet power station

Longannet Power Station
Longannet power station in 2011
Country	Scotland
Location	Fife
Coordinates	56°02′56″N 3°40′56″W / 56.0489°N 3.6823°W / 56.0489; -3.6823
Status	Demolished
Construction began	1964; 60 years ago (1964)[1]
Commission date	1970–1973; 51 years ago (1973)[2]
Decommission date	24 March 2016; 8 years ago (2016-03-24)
Operators	South of Scotland Electricity Board (1970–1991) Scottish Power (1991–2016)
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Coal
Tertiary fuel	Gas
Power generation
Nameplate capacity	2,400 MW
Annual net output	9,525 GWh (2012)[3]
External links
Commons	Related media on Commons
[edit on Wikidata] grid reference NS953852

Longannet power station /lɒŋˈænɪt/ was a large coal-fired power station in Fife, and the last coal-fired power station in Scotland.^[4] It was capable of co-firing biomass, natural gas and sludge. The station stood on the north bank of the Firth of Forth, near Kincardine on Forth.

Its generating capacity of 2,400 megawatts was the highest of any power station in Scotland. The station began generating electricity in 1970,^[2] and when it became fully operational it was the largest coal-fired station in Europe. At the time of closure it was the third largest, after Bełchatów in Poland and Drax in England, and the 21st most polluting.

Longannet was operated by the South of Scotland Electricity Board until 1990, when its operation was handed over to Scottish Power following privatisation. After failing to win a contract from National Grid, the station closed on 24 March 2016.^[5][6]

The station was a regional landmark, dominating the Forth skyline with its 183 m (600 ft) chimney stack. Longannet lacked cooling towers, having instead used water from the River Forth for cooling. On 4 February 2021, the boiler house, turbine hall and control room were demolished in a controlled explosion.^[7] On 9 December 2021, the chimney stack was demolished.^[8]