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Report - - Uskmouth Powerstation - December 2017 | UK Power Stations | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Uskmouth Powerstation - December 2017

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Maniac

rebmeM LD82
Regular User
Hello all, I'm still alive and kicking :)

It's been well over a year since I've posted a report on here, but that's not through lack of doing anything, in fact the complete opposite really I've just not had the time!

Anyway, thought I'd share this one as it's a bit special. Already reported on by a few, but nothing since 2015. Was it still there? Was it complete? Had it reopened? A quick google had bought up news of an explosion in early 2017, but seemingly nothing since then. Wikipedia said it was earmarked for closure, but how up-to-date was that information? We were basically going in blind. But fuck it, it's Christmas and all that so off to Newport we went, myself @slayaaaa and one of the @WildBoyz not really knowing what we would see, how we would do it or even really exactly where it was.

We picked one of the wettest nights of the year it seems to attempt this, but it didn't deter us. Whenever I visit Wales it always rains - ask @Lenston . Once we saw it was still there and with lights on inside we were all the more determined to see this one though. The only problem with power stations is they're not exactly known for their ease of access and this one is no exception. It's surrounded on all of it's accessible sides by a not-too-wide-but-slightly-too-wide-to-jump-over ditch which is filled with manky water that stinks when you disturb it. Add to that the incredibly thick overgrowth of brambles and the second even wider and deeper ditch inside the first and you have a bit of a challenge on your hands. We were certainly limited as to how we could approach this one. Fast forward 3 hours and we were in.

So Uskmouth is supposed to be being converted into biomass, at least that was the last thing I can really find about the station on-line. Bullshit! They're doing absolutely nothing with it. It still looks exactly the same as the photos from 2015, not a single thing has changed by the looks of it. It feels at first glance like a derelict station - access to conveyors is welded up, doors are bolted shut and a thick layer of dust covers everything. But then on the flip side, air lines are charged, control panels and computers are on and there's fresh milk in the fridge. Go figure.

As others have said previously this is a wonderfully retro station, stuck in the past and never fully modernised. Built at that time when they hadn't quite developed modern techniques, so they were still building them like they did pre-war. the building is brick, the control rooms are fantastically retro and there's some great features left like loads of original lamps which aren't used anymore, but have just been disconnected and left on the walls.

Anyway, enough rambling on, we start our journey at the coal loading floor.



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And continue in the turbine hall
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he control room(s) were absolutely fantastic. Uskmouth has one control room per generator set instead of one large one and they were all identical to each other. This was the only one the lights seemed to work in. The main operational parts were pretty much still as they would have been in the late 50's, all the modern stuff related to carbon capture and other monitoring equipment. It was great to see!
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I loved the "Lubrication Legend"
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And there we have it, a small but sweet little power station. What the future holds for it who knows, there's literally no indication of what they might or might not being doing with the place, it's just sitting in limbo awaiting its fate. My only regret is not taking more photos, but I was absolutely knackered by the time we actually got inside the place.

Thanks for looking!

Maniac.

EDIT: I don't know what this forum software does when you upload photos to it, but it's totally ruined those, that's not how they should look. :(
 
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Exploring with Andy

Behind Closed Doors
Staff member
Moderator
How very strange. We went back for another look, shortly before that explosion and the place appeared to be running flat out, belching out smoke and coal being fed into the conveyors. It confused the fuck out of me because it was supposed to all biomassed, but there was no sign that ever happened, and it can't meet emissions regulations burning coal. God knows how it managed it, but one thing is for sure: it was running that day. Maybe the explosion finished it off.
 

Maniac

rebmeM LD82
Regular User
How very strange. We went back for another look, shortly before that explosion and the place appeared to be running flat out, belching out smoke and coal being fed into the conveyors. It confused the fuck out of me because it was supposed to all biomassed, but there was no sign that ever happened, and it can't meet emissions regulations burning coal. God knows how it managed it, but one thing is for sure: it was running that day. Maybe the explosion finished it off.

It certainly hasn't been used recently. The place is clearly manned, there's fresh milk in the staff room (and the world's slowest boiling kettle, a working tv and very comfy chairs. Oh yes we did ) but other bits of it are very derelict looking. If you want another slice of it, now's the time to go I guess.
 

Dempsey

The Human Turbine.
28DL Full Member
Aha! Legend!

Seems we've both been eying up the same things.

I was bizarrely on site there a few months back at the end of summer, and I came to the conclusion that fuck, exactly like you say, they've done absolutely nothing with it! The place was dead.

Alas I spoke with a few figures at SIMEC (the company who took ownership), their MD, the station manager, the lot! Over the course of three weeks of talking over the blower and numerous emails, low and behold, my initial route of a legit tour for documentation (I do hate that pretentious derpnoob word) just faded away with mystical worries over health and safety site specific risks. Whatever, it won't take off, its too much of a large project on a crumbling 60's generating station.

Plans to go in dark as soon as I'm free from everything else, if anyone is around in the coming weeks and would like to help shove the finger up to health and safety mad, uninterested officials whilst licking some brick with a turbonerd, feel free to get in touch on this one as its truly a stunner.

There isn't one left of this design (only similar stuff overseas), and although it was one of the last brick built examples, its still in keeping with early mid century design and is really important it gets a good seeing to.


Admins, please keep this in NP!

Cheers.
 
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Dempsey

The Human Turbine.
28DL Full Member
How very strange. We went back for another look, shortly before that explosion and the place appeared to be running flat out, belching out smoke and coal being fed into the conveyors. It confused the fuck out of me because it was supposed to all biomassed, but there was no sign that ever happened, and it can't meet emissions regulations burning coal. God knows how it managed it, but one thing is for sure: it was running that day. Maybe the explosion finished it off.

Maniac is right, no idea what you saw but that place hasn't been fed coal in years! Please feel free to prove me wrong mind!


I do like Uskmouth! Are there still a couple of shunter locos hanging around?

There is one, a rare beast. She's currently locked away as far as I'm aware
 

Maniac

rebmeM LD82
Regular User
It's definitely a unique one in the UK. I've done a fair few UK ones now, I've got quite a collection going on there, and I've not seen anything that's quite like it. It definitely reminded me of stations abroad, I think it's one of the last of its kind, certainly in this condition. Go see it while you can!
 

Dempsey

The Human Turbine.
28DL Full Member
It's definitely a unique one in the UK. I've done a fair few UK ones now, I've got quite a collection going on there, and I've not seen anything that's quite like it. It definitely reminded me of stations abroad, I think it's one of the last of its kind, certainly in this condition. Go see it while you can!

It is the last of this size and design!
 

drhowser

Bespectacled & irrelevant
Regular User
Wasn't Uskmouth bought by the same person as the steel mill next door that's also sat doing nothing?
 

Speed

Got Epic Slow?
Regular User
Yep. Its owned by Liberty isn't it? I was under the impression they wanted to do the biofuel thing to avoid emissions taxes on the steel works. I don't understand it exactly but it was somthing sneaky I bet. When we did it in 2015 it looked like they were working on the turbines. Some kind if referb maybe. Then maybe a test on coal afterwards? but sounds like this explosion could have been a setback. Did you guys check all of the control rooms? I had the distinct feeling we just got a bit lucky and didn't pick the one with a man in it. Others have seen people in them after hours..

This place is deffo my favorite one left. A different era to the rest. (Well apart from the one on Wilton and some of the other smaller CHP ones.) I spent last year looking at smaller stuff like substations and other odds and ends but this new flurry or reports makes me want to turbine again!

Ps. Nice to see you back Mike. I was a bit worried!
 
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