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This empty building on the banks of the Forth once delivered power to two million homes

5 July 2017 | Part of the series

Longannet Power Station in Fife was the UK’s second-largest power station until it closed in 2016.

went to find out what it’s like inside a power station after the generators are turned off.

The abandoned power station on the banks of the Firth of Forth

Longannet once provided power to two million homes across Scotland.

Coal feeder

Coal powered the electricity generators at Longannet. It was or by road from local mines.

before being fed into the furnaces.

The turbine hall

Cooling water for the condensers was drawn from – and returned to – the Firth of Forth. The station required as much as 327,000 meters per hour.

In its lifetime, over 60 billion cubic metres of cooling water came through the station.

Electrical flow meters

was the reason Scottish Power cited for the closure of Longannet Power Station.

Control room console

The closure of Longannet marked.

The buildings are to be demolished and cleared but.

The former staff of Longannet

Over the 46 years of operation, thousands worked at Longannet, including .

The station ran 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and at the time of closure, .

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