Sir, The letter by Dr Lee Upcraft (July 16) described a power station I did not recognise. I was the first test and efficiency engineer, being appointed in July 1969.

The boilers were all fitted with electrostatic precipitators to remove fly ash from the boiler gases and the tests that were carried out demonstrated that they met their design criteria to remove in excess of 99.9 per cent.

The height of the chimney stack was such that the residual ash would fall beyond an eight-mile radius. He refers to current EU regulations. Fly ash was readily recognisable by microscope as it was spherical.

Complaints of fallout came from an Appleton resident whose greenhouse glass could have been used to observe the sun.

Samples showed that it was iron filings from trains passing within feet that deposited them from their wheels rubbing on the bend in the rails.

I was one of the engineers at the discussions with Culham about the required electrical surges. The station was not so remotely linked as was described and the 400 KV substation was linked westwards to South Wales, eastward to London and northwards to the Midlands where its role was to prevent excessive current flow on this connection.

The surges for the fusion experiments were met both by the grid system and also from residual energy of the boiler plant.

The noise from the coal-handling tractors in the early days led to a meeting with Sutton Courtenay parish councillors and what started as a confrontational meeting changed when the station manager agreed with them.

Blackwood Hodge, the manufacturers of the plant, did an excellent job in noise reduction. This meeting developed into the local liaison committee when the local parish councillors regularly met with station staff, which I believe continued up to closure.

Peter Todd

Main Street

Grove