Spondon Power Station 1925

Originally built by the British Cellulose & Chemical Manufacturing Co Ltd to supply electricity to their works. Sold to the Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire Electric Power in 1922 who rebuilt and enlarged it during the 1920’s still supplying the works, and also providing some power for the National Grid which was created in 1926. The second Spondon power station known a Spondon H was built in 1959 at the side of the original (which became known as Spondon A). This was a combined heat and power station and provided steam and electricity to the works with excess electricity exported the National Grid. This allowed the life expired steam boilers in the works dating from 1918 to be dispensed with. When the CEGB proposed to close Spondon H in 1982 it was purchased and operated by the then current owner of the works, Celanese Acetate Limited. In 1995 the coal fired power station was closed down and replaced by the third Spondon Power Station, a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant. This still supplied steam and electricity to the works and excess electricity to the National Grid, and was fuelled using natural gas supplied by pipeline and alternatively sometimes by using diesel oil. The gas fired station continued to operate under a separate company called Derwent Co-Generation Ltd. from 1999 (later shortened to Derwent Cogen) until closed completely in 2012 concurrently with the works.