RWE said the plant – which was converted from coal to 100 per cent biomass in 2011 – is “no longer economically viable” because it is not eligible for support under the Contracts for Difference mechanism for low carbon technologies.
The power station began operation in 1967 as a 1,467MW coal-fired plant, which reduced to 750MW after the 2011 conversion, and it generated a total of 168.8TWh during its lifetime.
The plant was given 20,000 hours of operation under the EU’s Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD) from 1 January 2008 and these are set to run out at 12 noon.
The power station will formally close in October.
The second phase of the conversion project would have seen Tilbury B close under the LCPD and then a full scale biomass conversion to take place, before coming back online in 2015.
Nigel Staves, Tilbury Power Station manager, said: “This is a sad time for everyone at Tilbury Power Station, but I would like to personally thank all of our staff past and present who have contributed to the success of the station, particularly in the delivery of such a pioneering development for UK biomass.”
He added: “Tilbury remains an excellent site for power generation and RWE will now review future plans for the site.”