Able Thorpe Marsh

This iconic site at Barnby Dun, Doncaster, South Yorkshire offers 17 hectares (42.4 acres) and lends itself to a variety of potential uses, particularly power generation, as the site has immediate access to the National Grid via an adjacent sub-station.

Thorpe Marsh Power Station was a 1 Gigawatt (GW) (1,000 MW) coal-fired power station. Initially operated by the Central Electricity Generating Board, the station was operated by National Power following privatisation in 1990. The station closed a few years later in 1994.

ABLE acquired the former power station in 1995 and undertook a huge exercise to de-plant the power station and demolish the extensive buildings and boiler house.

Of the original six cooling towers (each 340ft (100m) high and 260ft (79m) in diameter at the base), the south-western most was demolished on 1 April 2012, the north-easternmost on 10 June 2012 and the centre two towers on 5 August 2012. The last two towers were pulled down on 19 August 2012.

The site had previous planning permissions for a 1,575MW CCGT Power Station with a supporting gas pipeline.

There will also be major work done to the National Grid infrastructure around Thorpe Marsh with a new 400kV 4 bay double bus-bar AIS substation on site and two skeleton generator bays, four circuit feeder bays as well as four new transformers.

The site benefits from transport access via motorways, River Don / canals and rail. Able Thorpe Marsh also enjoys quick access to airports such as Manchester, Leeds Bradford and Humberside.