The warm river water is taken from the condenser tubes to about a quarter of the way up the 114 metre high cooling tower where it is dropped through honeycombed plastic packing. This breaks the water up into a very fine spray, increasing the surface area of the water droplets making it easier to cool.

The cooling tower is designed as a natural draught chimney, drawing cold air from outside through the falling water. The now cool river water is collected in the 95 metre diameter pond at the bottom of the cooling tower and from here it is either pumped back to the condensers or periodically is purged back to the river.