Kepier power station

Kepier power station
The proposed site in December 2009
Location of Kepier power station
Country	England
Location	Kepier, County Durham
Coordinates	54°47′10″N 1°33′43″W / 54.786°N 1.562°W / 54.786; -1.562Coordinates: 54°47′10″N 1°33′43″W / 54.786°N 1.562°W / 54.786; -1.562
Status	Cancelled
Construction cost	£3,500,000 (planned)
Owner(s)	North Eastern Electric Supply Company
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Coal
Power generation
Nameplate capacity	150 MW

Kepier power station refers to a cancelled coal-fired power station on the River Wear at Kepier, 0.75 miles (1.21 km) north east of Durham, County Durham, North East England. Planned by the North Eastern Electric Supply Company (NESCo) in 1944, it was never realised as the scheme faced stiff opposition from those who claimed it would obstruct views of the historic Durham Cathedral from the East Coast Main Line. A number of people supported the scheme as it would help meet the increasing demand for electricity and provide much needed jobs in the post-depression, post-war economy of Britain. The station, which had been designed by architect Giles Gilbert Scott, would have been operational by the late 1940s and would have generated 150 megawatts of electricity. However, following a public inquiry the plans were not approved and instead NESCo installed new capacity at their existing power stations.

After several years of preliminary planning, surveying sites and drawing up plans, the North Eastern Electric Supply Company (NESCo) bought the site of a large rifle range, over both sides of the River Wear, at Kepier, 0.75 miles (1.21 km) north east of the city of Durham, and in early 1944 publicly announced their plans to build a large coal-fired power station on the site. The station was part of a post-war plan by NESCo, and the scheme had a projected cost of £3,500,000. The site was chosen in the mid-Durham area to be close to the coal supplies. It also needed to be a short distance from the River Wear, downstream of Durham, and on solid foundations. Mine workings in County Durham restricted the number of possible sites which could meet the requirement for solid foundations. The site also required good road and rail access.