 Water is essential to a thermal power station , to create the steam to turn the steam turbines and generate electricity . Water used in the power station at Blyth was extracted from the Blyth Harbour tidal basin at the ash dock . Once used in the station , the hot water had to be cooled before it could be discharged . <unk> were used to convert steam from the turbines back into water . The stations ' condensers were of twin two @-@ pass design and had a total cooling surface of 70 @,@ 000 square feet ( 6 @,@ 500 m2 ) . Condensed water was then extracted by two duty pumps . The water then passed through a drains cooler . The cooled waste water was discharged into the sea off Cambois beach below low tide level . 
