SSE says likely to close most units at Fiddler's Ferry coal plant in April

LONDON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - British power producer SSE (Amsterdam: UW8.AS - news) said it would likely close down three of four units at its Fiddler's Ferry coal-fired power plant near Manchester from April (LSE: 0N69.L - news) 1 due to competition from other forms of electricity and the advanced age of the station.

"Although a final decision has not yet been taken, SSE (LSE: SSE.L - news) 's expectation is that (subject to consultation) it is likely to close three of the four units from 1 April 2016 and it is informing the market accordingly," the company said in a statement.

If it decides to shut down the units, the company will face a penalty of around 33 million pounds ($48 million) for breaching a capacity delivery agreement, it said.

($1 = 0.6868 pounds) (Reporting by Karolin Schaps; Editing by Mark Potter)