Octary · UK power stations
UK power stations atlas
Browse current and decommissioned UK gas, coal and nuclear power stations in one place. Use the filters, map and station pages to compare technologies, track closures, and understand how the British grid has changed over time.
Current and decommissioned
Gas, coal and nuclear
Octary /power-stations
Reference data and timelines
Search the atlas
Filter by fuel, status, nation, or use the keyword search to jump straight into a station, region, technology or theme.
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Atlas view
The map emphasises stations with usable coordinate data in this build. Legacy records without live grid coordinates still appear fully in the card index and detail pages.
Hover a mapped station
How to use this view
Use the filters above, hover or tap markers on the map, and open station pages for timelines, technical summaries and source notes.
Coverage focus
This build uses OpenStreetMap tiles with station coordinates overlaid from the atlas dataset. Gas, coal and nuclear stations all sit on the same live map so the geography is much easier to read properly.
Legend
Gas
Coal
Nuclear
Tip: search AGR, CCGT, Scotland, or a station like Ratcliffe to refocus the visible layer instantly.
Animated station logic
Three quick visual grammars for how the station types work. The aim here is readability and atmosphere rather than engineering detail so the page feels educational without becoming sterile.
Coal station
Coal is burnt to make high-pressure steam, which drives a turbine and generator. In the visual memory of Britain this process is tied to cooling towers, chimneys, ash systems and long industrial rail or conveyor links.
Gas CCGT
Combined-cycle gas plants use a gas turbine first, then recover the hot exhaust to raise steam for a second turbine cycle. That is why CCGT stations often appear compact compared with the old coal giants while still delivering very large output.
Nuclear station
Nuclear stations still use a steam cycle, but the heat source is fission rather than combustion. Reactor type matters enormously because Magnox, AGR and PWR/EPR stations all carry distinct technical and visual signatures.
Browse station cards
Every station in the current dataset is listed below. Open any record for a direct summary, timeline, map context and source notes.
Berkeley
Nuclear
Magnox
Decommissioning
Berkeley is one of the earliest Magnox sites and remains important for understanding the first generation of British civil nuclear design.
Open station page
Bradwell
Nuclear
Magnox
Decommissioning
Bradwell is an estuary-edge Magnox site whose isolation and flat marsh landscape make it especially striking.
Open station page
Calder Hall
Nuclear
Magnox
Decommissioning
Calder Hall is central to any account of British nuclear history because it was the world’s first nuclear power station to deliver electricity at commercial scale.
Open station page
Chapelcross
Nuclear
Magnox
Decommissioning
Chapelcross sits close to the English border and occupies a key place in the story of Britain’s earliest civil-military nuclear landscapes.
Open station page
Dungeness A
Nuclear
Magnox
Decommissioning
Dungeness A belongs to the earlier Magnox generation and sits beside the later AGR station, making the site a compact lesson in reactor evolution.
Open station page
Dungeness B
Nuclear
AGR
Decommissioning
Dungeness B closed after long operational difficulties and now sits in the unusual landscape of shingle, sea and decommissioning infrastructure.
Open station page
Hartlepool
Nuclear
AGR
Operational
Hartlepool is one of the remaining AGR stations, extended to continue generating into the late 2020s.
Open station page
Heysham 1
Nuclear
AGR
Operational
Heysham 1 remains part of the shrinking AGR fleet and sits beside Heysham 2 on the Lancashire coast.
Open station page
Heysham 2
Nuclear
AGR
Operational
Heysham 2 is one of the strongest-performing AGR stations and remains central to Britain’s current nuclear output.
Open station page
Hinkley Point A
Nuclear
Magnox
Decommissioning
Hinkley Point A is the earliest layer of the Hinkley story, preceding both the AGR era and the current EPR build.
Open station page
Hinkley Point B
Nuclear
AGR
Decommissioning
Hinkley Point B now forms the historical layer beside the emerging Hinkley Point C project on the same headland.
Open station page
Hinkley Point C
Nuclear
EPR
Under construction
Hinkley Point C is the flagship new-build nuclear project intended to define the next chapter of UK civil nuclear generation.
Open station page
Hunterston A
Nuclear
Magnox
Decommissioning
Hunterston A helps show how some UK nuclear locations carry multiple generations of reactors on essentially the same coastal site.
Open station page
Hunterston B
Nuclear
AGR
Decommissioning
Hunterston B was one of Scotland’s defining nuclear stations and is now in the post-generation stage of its life.
Open station page
Oldbury
Nuclear
Magnox
Decommissioning
Oldbury is a Severn estuary Magnox site and an important reference point for long-term nuclear clean-up and site stewardship.
Open station page
Sizewell A
Nuclear
Magnox
Decommissioning
Sizewell A sits beside Sizewell B and the proposed Sizewell C, making the Suffolk coast one of the clearest examples of nuclear continuity across generations.
Open station page
Sizewell B
Nuclear
PWR
Operational
Sizewell B is the UK’s only operating pressurised water reactor and one of the anchor stations in the present fleet.
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Sizewell C
Nuclear
EPR
Planned / development
Sizewell C represents the next intended large-scale nuclear build after Hinkley Point C, extending the Suffolk nuclear cluster.
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Torness
Nuclear
AGR
Operational
Torness is Scotland’s last operating nuclear station and one of the most visually distinctive industrial sites on the North Sea coast.
Open station page
Trawsfynydd
Nuclear
Magnox
Decommissioning
Trawsfynydd is unusual within the British fleet because of its inland lake setting inside a mountainous Welsh landscape.
Open station page
Wylfa
Nuclear
Magnox
Decommissioning
Wylfa was the last operating Magnox station in the UK and remains central to debates about a possible future nuclear return to Anglesey.
Open station page
Aberthaw B
Coal
Coal steam
Decommissioned
Aberthaw B was the last big Welsh coal station and remained strategically important until the final phase-out years.
Open station page
Cockenzie
Coal
Coal steam
Decommissioned
Cockenzie was a crucial East Lothian coal station and one of Scotland’s best-known industrial coastal landmarks.
Open station page
Cottam
Coal
Coal steam
Decommissioned
Cottam was a major Trent-side coal station known for its long turbine hall, cooling towers, and late survival into the final decade of UK coal.
Open station page
Didcot A
Coal
Coal steam
Decommissioned
Didcot A was one half of the famous Didcot dual-station site, representing the older coal phase before the newer gas station beside it.
Open station page
Drax Coal Units
Coal
Coal steam
Coal units retired
Drax matters in coal history because its remaining coal units survived late into the phase-out era even while the wider site pivoted toward biomass.
Open station pageEggborough
Coal
Coal steam
Decommissioned
Eggborough bridged the old CEGB world and the post-privatisation period, surviving as a major Yorkshire coal station into the late 2010s.
Open station page
Ferrybridge C
Coal
Coal steam
Decommissioned
Ferrybridge C was one of the defining Yorkshire coal stations, remembered both for generation and for its vast, instantly recognisable towers.
Open station page
Fiddler's Ferry
Coal
Coal steam
Decommissioned
Fiddler's Ferry was a big Mersey-side coal station whose closure became symbolic of the rapid retreat of coal from the UK system.
Open station page
Ironbridge B
Coal
Coal steam
Decommissioned
Ironbridge B sat in one of Britain’s most symbolically industrial landscapes, linking modern power generation to the deeper history of the Industrial Revolution.
Open station pageKilroot Coal Units
Coal
Coal steam
Coal units retired
Kilroot’s coal units formed part of Northern Ireland’s distinctive power story, where security of supply and conversion pathways mattered heavily.
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Kingsnorth
Coal
Coal steam
Decommissioned
Kingsnorth on the Medway estuary became nationally significant in debates around air pollution, climate policy and the future of coal.
Open station page
Longannet
Coal
Coal steam
Decommissioned
Longannet was Scotland’s giant coal station, dominant in scale and widely visible across the Firth of Forth.
Open station pageLynemouth Coal Units
Coal
Coal steam
Decommissioned
Lynemouth’s coal-fired phase ended before the site was repurposed, making it a useful case study in post-coal reinvention.
Open station page
Ratcliffe-on-Soar
Coal
Coal steam
Decommissioning
Ratcliffe-on-Soar was the last coal-fired power station in the UK, closing in September 2024 and marking the end of the coal era in British power generation.
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Rugeley B
Coal
Coal steam
Decommissioned
Rugeley B was one of the last West Midlands coal stations and a familiar industrial landmark in Staffordshire.
Open station page
Tilbury B
Coal
Coal / biomass transition
Decommissioned
Tilbury B straddled coal and biomass transition narratives before closing as a major estuarial thermal site on the Thames.
Open station pageUskmouth B
Coal
Coal / oil
Decommissioned
Uskmouth B endured in a smaller, later-life role, showing how some older thermal stations survived in reduced form rather than as giant baseload sites.
Open station page
West Burton A
Coal
Coal steam
Decommissioned
West Burton A was one of the final large English coal stations, and its closure signalled the shrinking endgame of coal generation.
Open station page
Ballylumford CCGT
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Ballylumford CCGT is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Blackburn
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Blackburn is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Burghfield
Gas
OCGT / engines
Operational
Burghfield is a peaking or fast-response gas site, built to start quickly when the system needs extra capacity.
Open station page
Carrington Power
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Carrington Power is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Cheshire
Gas
OCGT / engines
Operational
Cheshire is a peaking or fast-response gas site, built to start quickly when the system needs extra capacity.
Open station page
Chickerell
Gas
OCGT / engines
Operational
Chickerell is a peaking or fast-response gas site, built to start quickly when the system needs extra capacity.
Open station page
Coolkeeragh
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Coolkeeragh is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Corby Power Station
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Corby Power Station is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Coryton Energy Company Ltd
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Coryton Energy Company Ltd is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Cottam Development Centre
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Cottam Development Centre is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Croydon
Gas
OCGT / engines
Operational
Croydon is a peaking or fast-response gas site, built to start quickly when the system needs extra capacity.
Open station page
Damhead Creek
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Damhead Creek is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Derby
Gas
OCGT / engines
Operational
Derby is a peaking or fast-response gas site, built to start quickly when the system needs extra capacity.
Open station page
Didcot B
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Didcot B is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Enfield
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Enfield is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Exeter
Gas
OCGT / engines
Operational
Exeter is a peaking or fast-response gas site, built to start quickly when the system needs extra capacity.
Open station page
Grain
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Grain is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Great Yarmouth
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Great Yarmouth is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Grimsby
Gas
OCGT / engines
Operational
Grimsby is a peaking or fast-response gas site, built to start quickly when the system needs extra capacity.
Open station page
Heartlands
Gas
OCGT / engines
Operational
Heartlands is a peaking or fast-response gas site, built to start quickly when the system needs extra capacity.
Open station page
Hythe
Gas
OCGT / engines
Operational
Hythe is a peaking or fast-response gas site, built to start quickly when the system needs extra capacity.
Open station page
Immingham VPI
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Immingham VPI is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Keadby
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Keadby is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Keadby 2
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Keadby 2 is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Killingholme
Gas
OCGT / engines
Operational
Killingholme is a peaking or fast-response gas site, built to start quickly when the system needs extra capacity.
Open station page
Kings Lynn
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Kings Lynn is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Langage
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Langage is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Little Barford
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Little Barford is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Marchwood Power
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Marchwood Power is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Medway
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Medway is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Pembroke
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Pembroke is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Peterborough PPL2
Gas
OCGT / engines
Operational
Peterborough PPL2 is a peaking or fast-response gas site, built to start quickly when the system needs extra capacity.
Open station page
Peterborough Power Station
Gas
OCGT / engines
Operational
Peterborough Power Station is a peaking or fast-response gas site, built to start quickly when the system needs extra capacity.
Open station page
Peterhead
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Peterhead is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Rocksavage
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Rocksavage is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Rye House
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Rye House is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Saltend Power Station
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Saltend Power Station is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Seabank
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Seabank is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Severn Power
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Severn Power is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Shoreham
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Shoreham is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
South Humber Bank
Gas
CCGT
Operational
South Humber Bank is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Spalding Energy
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Spalding Energy is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Spalding Expansion
Gas
OCGT / engines
Operational
Spalding Expansion is a peaking or fast-response gas site, built to start quickly when the system needs extra capacity.
Open station page
Staythorpe
Gas
CCGT
Operational
Staythorpe is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Thornhill
Gas
OCGT / engines
Operational
Thornhill is a peaking or fast-response gas site, built to start quickly when the system needs extra capacity.
Open station page
Viking Energy
Gas
OCGT / engines
Operational
Viking Energy is a peaking or fast-response gas site, built to start quickly when the system needs extra capacity.
Open station page
West Burton CCGT
Gas
CCGT
Operational
West Burton CCGT is a major UK gas-fired combined-cycle station used within the modern flexible thermal fleet.
Open station page
Wilton International
Gas
Conventional steam
Operational
Wilton International is part of the contemporary UK gas-fired generation fleet.
Open station pageEra guide
A simple rhythm for reading the wider story of UK thermal and nuclear generation.
1950s to 1970sState-build era
Large coal stations, the first Magnox programme, and the visual rise of centralised electricity landscapes.
1980s to 1990sAGR and dash for gas
AGR nuclear sites matured while combined-cycle gas stations rapidly redefined the economics and geography of thermal power.
2000s to early 2020sContraction and conversion
Coal shrank fast, some sites switched fuel or function, and the nuclear fleet narrowed to a handful of stations.
Mid 2020s onwardPost-coal and selective new build
Coal generation ends, gas remains flexible rather than dominant, and the future nuclear story sits with Hinkley Point C and projects like Sizewell C.