Blyth Power Station - Social and Cultural Impact

Social and Cultural Impact

The power stations had very few television and film appearances:

• In 1991, the site was used as a shooting location for the sci-fi horror film Alien 3. Various locations in the North East of England were used in shooting the film, and the power station provided the location for some shots of the planet surface.
• During the latter stages of the stations' demolition, a documentary was made. The documentary was included in the Channel Five television programme The Demolition Squad.

Despite the small amount of media usage of the power stations, their four chimneys were still a strong landmark within the south east Northumberland landscape. They could be seen from as far south as 18 kilometres (11 mi) away at Callerton, in Newcastle upon Tyne, and over an 13.2 kilometres (8.2 mi) stretch of coast, from Seaton Sluice up to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. This is mostly because the stations were constructed in a largely flat, rural area.

In 1995, the site was considered for scheduling by English Heritage, because of its national importance as a good example of a late 20th-century power station. It was also important because of its use as a testing ground for various generating sizes, from which came success in the UK's electricity industry. However, by then the station's buildings were in poor condition and it would have been financially difficult to ensure their long term preservation. Instead, it was decided a comprehensive study and photographic record of the station would be commissioned.

Due to the closure of Blyth Power Stations, along with the power stations at Dunston and Stella in the 1980s and 1990s respectively, the northern part of North East England has become heavily dependent upon the National Grid for electrical supply. However, there are still two large power stations at Hartlepool and Wilton in the south of the region.