Eggborough power station

Eggborough power station

Eggborough Power Station
Viewed from the south in February 2007
Location of Eggborough power station in North Yorkshire
Country England
Location Knottingley
Coordinates 53°42′42″N 1°07′37″W / 53.7116°N 1.1269°W / 53.7116; -1.1269Coordinates: 53°42′42″N 1°07′37″W / 53.7116°N 1.1269°W / 53.7116; -1.1269
Status Operational
Commission date 1967
Operator(s) Central Electricity Generating Board
(1966-1990)
National Power
(1990-2000)
British Energy
(2000-2010)
Eggborough Power ltd
(2010-present)
Thermal power station
Primary fuel Coal
Power generation
Nameplate capacity 1,960 MW
Website
Official website
grid reference SE576242

Eggborough Power Station is a large coal-fired power station in North Yorkshire, England, capable of co-firing biomass. It is situated on the River Aire, between the towns of Knottingley and Snaith, deriving its name from the nearby village of Eggborough. The station has a generating capacity of 1,960 megawatts, enough electricity to power 2 million homes, equivalent to the area of Leeds and Sheffield.[1]

Opened in 1966 to utilise nearby coal-reserves, the station was built for, and initially operated by, the Central Electricity Generating Board.

History

Eggborough Power Station

Eggborough Power Station was built between 1962 and 1970, and first began generating electricity in 1967.[2] The station comprises four 500 megawatt (MW) coal-fired units, giving the station a total electrical output of 1,960 MW. Units 3 and 4 have been installed with Flue Gas Desulphurisation equipment, which reduces the units' emissions of Sulphur Dioxide by around 90%.[1][2]

The station has a 200 m (660 ft) tall chimney.

In 2005 a retrofit turbine upgrade was carried out to increase the station's efficiency and flexibility by improving part-load and two-shift operation.[3]

The station employs around 300 people, as well as contractors.[1]

Ownership

The station was built for, and initially operated by, the Central Electricity Generating Board. The station became the property of National Power on privatisation of the industry in 1990.

British Energy bought Eggborough Power Station, as its only coal-fired power station, in 2000 to provide a more flexible power production facility alongside its nuclear power stations to reduce penalty charge risks from the New Electricity Trading Arrangements introduced in March 2001. The purchase of Eggborough occurred at the peak of the market for power stations, and in 2002 the value of the station was written down by half.[4]

At the beginning of 2009, Électricité de France (EDF) purchased British Energy. In August 2009, it became apparent that the station's lenders, had the option to buy the station the following April, to comply with commitments made to the European Commission when agreeing the acquisition of British Energy.[5] On 1 April 2010, EDF transferred Eggborough to the plant's bondholders.[6]

In November 2014 it was announced, that power station will be acquired by Czech Republic-based Energetický a průmyslový holding.[7] The acquisition was finalised January 2015.[8]

In September 2015 the owners announced the plant was expected to stop producing electricity by the end of March 2016 however less than two months before the closure, in February 2016 it was announced that the plant would continue to operate for at least another twelve months through to March 2017.[8][9][10]

On 1 August it was announced that a further unit would be available to run commercially from mid September 2016.[11] Units 1 & 2 will generate for National Grid under the Supplementary Balance Reserve contracts providing 775 MW[12] Unit 4 returned to commercial operation on 16 September 2016 to generate 440 MW into the wholesale market following six months of deep maintenance[13]

Eggborough September 2016

On 26 August 2016 Eggborough Power Limited or ‘EPL’ proposed to develop a new Eggborough Gas-Fired Power Station[14] on the site of its existing coal-fired power station. The new power station will be a combined cycle gas turbine or ‘CCGT’ plant with 3 units generating 2,000 MW. Outline plans for the new development, which should be completed by 2022 involve the demolishing the old coal fired site and building of a new gas connection are available on the National Infrastructure Planning web site.[15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Modern Apprenticeship in Engineering at Eggborough Power Station" (PDF). British Energy. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Eggborough". British Energy. Retrieved 13 June 2008.
  3. ↑ "Eggborough - Our History". March 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  4. ↑ "Risk Management: The Nuclear Liabilities of British Energy plc" (PDF). National Audit Office. 6 February 2004. p. 24. Retrieved 13 June 2008.
  5. ↑ Freke, Tom; Pamuk, Humeyra; Stonestreet, John (27 August 2009). "Hedge funds to buy EDF's Eggborough power plant". reuters.com. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  6. ↑ Airlie, Catherine (1 April 2010). "EDF Transfers Eggborough Plant to Bondholders After Buying British Energy". Bloomberg. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  7. ↑ Žižka, Jan (4 November 2014). "Křetínský koupil elektrárnu v Británii. Má výkon jako Temelín" (in Czech). lidovky.cz. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  8. 1 2 "UK's coal-fired Eggborough power plant may close in March 2016". Reuters. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  9. ↑ "Eggborough set to close in March 2016". utilityweek.co.uk. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  10. ↑ "Reprieve for threatened Eggborough Power Station". BBC News. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  11. ↑ "3 Unit running at Eggborough Power Ltd". www.eggboroughpower.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  12. ↑ "Eggborough SBR Operational Information | National Grid". www2.nationalgrid.com. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  13. ↑ "Eggborough Power Ltd - REMIT Data". www.eggboroughpower.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  14. ↑ "Eggborough CCGT Project – Proposal to develop a new gas-fired power station". www.eggboroughccgt.co.uk. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  15. ↑ "Eggborough CCGT | National Infrastructure Planning". infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
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