Inverkip power station
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Inverkip power station is an oil-fired power station in Inverclyde, on the west coast of Scotland. It is actually located closer to Wemyss Bay than Inverkip and dominates the local area with its 700 foot (213m) chimney; the third tallest in the UK.
In common with other power stations in Scotland it lacks cooling towers; instead, sea water is used as a coolant. The station consists of three generating units with a combined rating of 1900MW.
Construction began for the then South of Scotland Electricity Board (SSEB) in 1970 of what was to be Scotland's first oil-fired power station. However, the soaring price of oil in the 1970s meant that by the time construction was completed generation was uneconomical. It was therefore never utilised to anything near capacity with 1200MW being mothballed and the remaining capacity being used to satisfy peak demand. A notable exception was during the miners' strike of 1984/5 when low coal supplies prompted operation at capacity. Generation ceased in the late 1980s.
This facility is now owned by the privatised Scottish Power utility group and is maintained in a mothballed condition as part of the strategic reserve. It is not listed by Scottish Power as being available for generation.
