Ballylumford power station is a natural-gas-fired power station in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK. With its main plant generating 600 megawatts of electricity, it is Northern Ireland's largest power station and provides half its power. Overall the station produces 600MW. The plant is located at the tip of the Islandmagee peninsula, which separates Larne Lough from the Irish Sea. The lough is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The 3 chimneys of the power station are 126 metres tall. East of the station is the static inverter plant of HVDC Moyle, a power cable connecting the system to Great Britain. History The first power station built at the site was started in 1943. Ballylumford power station was commissioned on 1 January 1943 as a coal-fired generating station with an initial capacity of 30 MW. Further equipment was installed to increase the capacity by 31.5 MW (June 1945), another 31.5 MW (November 1948), and 31.5 MW (January 1951). By 1958 the generating capacity was 124.5 MW. The plant comprised: 2 Babcock & Wilcox coal-fired boilers, 220 psi, 800 °F (15.2 bar, 427 °C), 3 Babcock & Wilcox coal-fired high head boilers, 625 psi, 835 °F (43.1 bar, 446 °C), 4 Mitchell tri-drum coal-fired boilers 625 psi, 835 °F (43.1 bar, 446 °C) Each boiler had a steam capacity of 150,000 lb/hr (18.9 kg/s). The boilers fed steam to four turbo-alternators: One 30 MW Metropolitan-Vickers 33 kV turbo-alternator One 31.5 MW Metropolitan-Vickers 33 kV turbo-alternator Two 30 MW Parsons 33 kV turbo-alternators Condenser cooling water, 6.09 million gallons per hour (7.69 m3/s) was drawn from the sea. The growth in electricity supply in the mid-1950s is demonstrated in the table. The "A" station operated until 1974, when the "B" station was completed. The station was a key factor in the 1974 Ulster Workers' Council strike. Supplying all of Belfast and most of the eastern half of the province, Northern Ireland was effectively brought to a standstill when the mainly Protestant workers of the plant were persuaded to join the strike. The closure of the plant together with the wider strike resulted in the collapse of the Sunningdale Agreement. In 1991 the nationalised power company, Northern Ireland Electricity, was incorporated as a government owned public limited company. In 1992 the four power stations at Belfast Harbour, Ballylumford, Derry (Coolkeeragh) and Carrickfergus (Kilroot) were demerged and sold. In 1993 the remainder of NIE (transmission,