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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Didcot A Power Station switched off after 43 years | Didcot A Power Station switched off after 43 years |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Oxfordshire's Didcot A Power Station has been turned off after 43 years in service. | |
| RWE npower announced the closure of the 2,000 megawatt (MW) coal-fired station in September, after opting out of the EU's Large Combustion Plant Directive. | RWE npower announced the closure of the 2,000 megawatt (MW) coal-fired station in September, after opting out of the EU's Large Combustion Plant Directive. |
| Phil Noake, Didcot A's station manager, called it a "very sad time for everyone at the power station". | Phil Noake, Didcot A's station manager, called it a "very sad time for everyone at the power station". |
| Nine months of decommissioning begins on 31 March, with demolition of the six towers expected to take several years. | Nine months of decommissioning begins on 31 March, with demolition of the six towers expected to take several years. |
| The station was disconnected from the national grid at 14:00 GMT. | |
| Former power station worker Lyn Bowen, who originally connected Didcot to the national grid in 1970, returned to the plant to flick the switch to disconnect. | |
| 'Crunch point' | 'Crunch point' |
| Mr Noake said: "I would like to thank the teams who have helped to deliver power to homes and businesses across Britain for over 40 years. | Mr Noake said: "I would like to thank the teams who have helped to deliver power to homes and businesses across Britain for over 40 years. |
| "We would like to extend our thanks to the local community who have supported us throughout these years." | "We would like to extend our thanks to the local community who have supported us throughout these years." |
| Greenpeace campaigner Ben Stewart, who climbed the towers in 2006, said it marked the beginning of the end of coal burning in the UK. | Greenpeace campaigner Ben Stewart, who climbed the towers in 2006, said it marked the beginning of the end of coal burning in the UK. |
| He added: "Off shore wind is where we should be focusing, given Britain is the Saudi Arabia of wind, and we should grasp the opportunity to make a huge investment there. | He added: "Off shore wind is where we should be focusing, given Britain is the Saudi Arabia of wind, and we should grasp the opportunity to make a huge investment there. |
| "We're the last generation that can do something about climate change. We're right at the crunch point." | "We're the last generation that can do something about climate change. We're right at the crunch point." |
| Country Life readers voted the landmark Britain's third worst eyesore in 2003. | Country Life readers voted the landmark Britain's third worst eyesore in 2003. |
| It opted out of the EU's Large Combustion Plant Directive, which is aimed at reducing emissions across Europe. | It opted out of the EU's Large Combustion Plant Directive, which is aimed at reducing emissions across Europe. |
| That meant the plant had to cease generation by the end of December 2015 at the latest, or once an allocated number of operational hours were completed. | That meant the plant had to cease generation by the end of December 2015 at the latest, or once an allocated number of operational hours were completed. |