At around 2.00pm today a serious fire impacted Units 3 and 4 of SSE's Ferrybridge C power station in West Yorkshire.
All persons on site have been accounted for and there are no reported injuries.
The Company's practised emergency response procedures were immediately activated and we are currently in the process of ensuring the site is made secure and safe.
The affected area in the site vicinity has been isolated by police and the West Yorkshire Ambulance Service hazardous area response team are also present. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service remains in attendance and is dealing with the incident with support from SSE engineers.
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has indicated the fire is now being brought under control. Due to planned maintenance neither of the affected units had been operational over the summer and therefore had not been supplying power to the National Grid at the time of today's incident.
SSE will be undertaking an investigation to establish the full extent of damage in due course. Early indications show the fire itself started in unit 4 but also had some impact on Unit 3. Currently we do not expect Unit 4 to return to service in this financial year. Unit 3 is not expected to return to service before 1 November. Our immediate priority is to manage the incident and to ensure the safety of staff, contractors and the general public.