RWE's 1140 MW Littlebrook power plant in the UK is set to close at the end of March 2015.

RWE’s 1140 MW Littlebrook power plant in the UK is set to close at the end of March 2015.

RWE opted the oil-fired facility out of the Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD) in 2008, forcing the utility to cease operations there by the end of 2015 or after 20 000 hours of operation.

RWE said in a statement that it has invested more than £6 billion in new power stations to replace ageing generation capacity.

It added that the three 35 MW open cycle gas turbines located at the Littlebrook site would continue to operate.

Construction started on Littlebrook in 1976 and the power plant has played an instrumental role in providing power to the city of London. During the UK miners’ strike it set a record for the largest electricity production output of any 2000 MW station in the UK within any one year, a record it still holds.

In recent years the power plant has been running at much reduced capacity but has played an important role in meeting peak electricity demand, says RWE.