ABERTHAW Power Station is set to downscale its operations from April 2017 - only generating electricity during the winter and at times of high demand.

A spokeswoman for station owner RWE has said that it is too early to speculate on what impact the downgrading would have on the station's 600 employees.

The UK government, who are being taken to court by the European Commission over claims that Aberthaw has been emitting an illegal amount of pollutants since 2008, has already said that it wants all cola-fired power stations to close by 2025.

RWE have said that they are "investing in further emissions reductions to be able to use more international coals".

A spokeswoman added: "We are working to secure the future operations of Aberthaw Power Station. We must however recognise that the current market for energy generation remains extremely challenging and demand for coal generation over the coming years is expected to be low compared to recent times.

"Against this backdrop we have to make decisions to future-proof our operations."

Friends of the Earth, who have been critical of Aberthaw, for both the amount of pollutants emitted and for being awarded a £27 million public subsidy in January, have said that they believe the downgrading is a sign of Aberthaw's "imminent closure".

Director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, Gareth Clubb, said: “Aberthaw’s closure is now imminent. The phenomenal levels of toxic pollution pouring from its stack means it has to be retrofitted to comply with legislation to protect human health and the environment. But it doesn’t make sense for a 45-year old power station limping into its final years to start making expensive upgrades. We expect RWE to announce full and final closure within months."

Mr Clubb added that Friends of the Earth have been calling on the Welsh Government to begin a programme of retraining for any workers who may lose their jobs at Aberthaw.

"While we’re delighted that Aberthaw - a polluter of European scale - is about to close," he said. "We need action from the Welsh Government to enable the workers to participate in the flourishing green economy."