A large-scale fire at Didcot B power station in Oxfordshire is today being investigated, although officials have ruled out arson or terrorism as main or contributory causes.
Meanwhile, representatives from the UK government and the plant’s operator have stressed that the loss of its generating capacity didn’t have any immediate impact on national power supplies.
According to the BBC, this was helped by the fact that the blaze broke out on a Sunday evening, a time when demand is generally considerably below average.
A team of up to 100 firefighters managed to put out the flames, but a contingent was expected to stay on-site for some time, while potential ‘hot-spots’ were located and the risk of further outbreaks they posed dealt with.
Unlike its much bigger neighbouring Didcot A power station, which was coal-powered and is currently out of use, the B station is gas-powered. The newer station has been in use since 1997, and can supply enough power to supply up to one million homes.
It serves a densely-populated area in the Thames valley, west of London.