ScottishPower has announced Longannet Power Station will close on 31 March 2016.

The closure marks the end of the power stations 46 years of production in Scotland.

Earlier this year, ScottishPower announced it was likely Longannet would need to close following National Grid's decision not to award the station a contract for grid balancing services.

ScottishPower has been working with Trade Unions, Local Councils and The Scottish Government to assess and manage the potential impact of Longannet's closure.

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The station directly employs 236 people.

Neil Clitheroe, CEO of Retail and Generation at ScottishPower, said: "This is a sad day for ScottishPower, and for our highly-skilled and committed team at Longannet. We have explored every potential option to keep the station open, and we still maintain that Longannet could continue generation in to the next decade under the right economic conditions."

“Our main focus now is consulting with staff to ensure we find the best outcomes possible for all of the 236 impacted employees, many of whom have spent their entire career at the station."

ScottishPower has also confirmed that it would not be progressing with the development of a CCGT plant at Cockenzie.

(LM)