This empty building on the banks of the Forth once delivered power to two million homes
5 July 2017 | Part of the Lost Scotland series
Longannet Power Station in Fife was the UK’s second-largest power station until it closed in 2016.
Abandoned Scotland went to find out what it’s like inside a power station after the generators are turned off.
The abandoned power station on the banks of the Firth of Forth
Longannet once provided power to two million homes across Scotland.
Coal feeder
Coal powered the electricity generators at Longannet. It was delivered by rail from Hunterston on the west coast or by road from local mines.
The coal was pulverised into a fine powder on site before being fed into the furnaces.
The turbine hall
Cooling water for the condensers was drawn from – and returned to – the Firth of Forth. The station required as much as 327,000 meters per hour.
In its lifetime, over 60 billion cubic metres of cooling water came through the station.
Electrical flow meters
The high cost of connecting to the main grid was the reason Scottish Power cited for the closure of Longannet Power Station.
Control room console
The closure of Longannet marked the end of coal-powered electricity production in Scotland.
The buildings are to be demolished and cleared but it is unknown at present what the land will be used for in the future.
The former staff of Longannet
Over the 46 years of operation, thousands worked at Longannet, including different generations of the same family.
The station ran 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and at the time of closure, it employed 236 staff.
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