WORKERS who have powered Oxfordshire for 20 years tucked into a slice of celebratory cake this month.

Back in October 1997 staff filed through the gates at Didcot B power station to produce electricity.

The station can produce 1.500MW per hour, which is enough to meet the needs of two million households, and covers an area of around 115 hectares.

The 60 strong team onsite came together to mark the occasion and a number of the employees remember the original opening.

Station manager Neil Scott said: “I have worked on this site for nearly 20 years, working across Didcot A and Didcot B power stations.

“I am proud of the team at Didcot B, it’s down to them that we remain competitive, efficient and ready to respond to the ever changing market demands.

“We have had some financially challenging years and have had to work hard to change our operations.

“We are a member of the local community and would like to thank them for their support.”

Originally the site operated next door to its sister coal plant Didcot A, which closed after 42 years of operations in 2013.

Three years later tragedy struck Didcot A, when half of the boiler house collapsed, killing four workers who were preparing the site ahead of demolition. Didcot B operates as an efficiency of around 55 per cent and has generated 140TWhrs of power to the grid.