Mothballed Sutton Bridge Power Station would take at least four months to become operational again

Bosses are still weighing up their plans for Sutton Bridge Power Station - but the facility would take at least four months to become operational again.

The 1999-built natural gas-fired facility has been in mothballs since 2020 after its owners Calon Energy went into administration.

With energy security in the spotlight as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, the prospect of using Sutton Bridge - once thought to have provided 2% of all electricity for England and Wales - comes into focus again.

The company exited administration and the facility has been handed back to directors - and earlier this year the power station was being touted by UK Power Plants as being available to be contracted out by industrial firms. That has not yet led to a decision to get it running again.

Rob Gillies plant manager told the Free Press: “The owner is considering all the opportunities at the moment - I am waiting for the result of their decision making process. We always have plans in place for a restart.”

He and fellow workers on site are tasked with maintaining the power station and keeping it in a safe and stable condition - with funding in place for this to continue.

Mr Gillies said restarting the power station would take ‘a minimum of four months from our current position’.

That would mean a minimum date of the summer - a busy time when it may be tricky to find the right contractors required to ensure all relevant regulations are followed.

Of the current picture, he added: “It’s difficult to say, with gas prices and electricity demand - it’s a very fluid situation to try to work out.”

The power station has a capacity of 850MW. It cost £337 million to built with a £45 million upgrade taking place in 2016.