Essex FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) has expressed concern about the possible impact on Essex businesses following the closure of Tilbury Power Station due to a serious fire at the site.
Essex FSB Vice Chairman, David Barnes, said: “Clearly safety must come first for those at Tilbury Power Station, especially the 100 plus Essex fire-fighters trying to contain the blaze, so shutting down the power station and the high voltage cables in that area is a necessary step to take.
“However the reports on the situation suggest that this major power station, which generates around 750MW and provides electricity to more than 1.5 million households, is likely to be closed for some time to allow repairs to be done.
“That has the potential to cause problems not just for those householders but also for the thousands of businesses in the South Essex area as it is essential that power supplies are maintained to allow those businesses to continue operating.
“In the recent past we have heard that capacity for power generation is under considerable pressure so it is important that proper procedures are put in place so that the National Grid can guarantee power supplies to those businesses and households which in the past have relied on the output from Tilbury Power Station.”
