 Permission for Blyth A Power Station to be built was granted in February 1955 , and its construction took place between 1955 and 1960 . The station 's first unit went into operation in December 1958 , and the A Station was fully operational by June 1960 . Its four 120 MW sets were the first commissioned in Britain of what became for a time that standardised size . The construction of the B Station began on 4 December 1961 . Its first unit was commissioned in December 1962 , and the rest of the station was fully operational by September 1966 . The station had a total generating capacity of 1 @,@ 730 MW , the highest of any site in the UK until later in the same year , when Ferrybridge C Power Station came into full operation . Blyth B was the first power station in Britain to have 275 MW sets installed . Its two 350 MW sets were an intermediate stage toward the 500 MW standard , so very few of the 350 MW sets were ever commissioned in the UK . Both of the stations were designed by L J Couves & Partners . They were engineered by Merz & McLellan and built by the Cleveland Bridge Company . 
