Staythorpe Power Station

Staythorpe Power Station

Staythorpe power station under construction in April 2009
Viewed from an aeroplane
Location of Staythorpe Power Station in Nottinghamshire
Country England
Location Nottinghamshire, East Midlands
Coordinates 53°04′29″N 0°51′21″W / 53.07482°N 0.85573°W / 53.07482; -0.85573Coordinates: 53°04′29″N 0°51′21″W / 53.07482°N 0.85573°W / 53.07482; -0.85573
Commission date 2010
Construction cost £600 million
Operator(s) RWE npower
(2010-)
Thermal power station
Primary fuel Natural gas-fired
grid reference SK767536

Staythorpe C Power Station is a 1,735 MWe gas-fired power station between Southwell and Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire, between the River Trent and Nottingham to Lincoln Line. The station was handed over to the owner RWE npower from Alstom Power with full commercial operation being achieved in December 2010. The official opening ceremony attended by Charles Hendry, Minister of State took place on 9 May 2011.

History

The £680 million plant near Averham was formally opened on 9 May 2011 and is owned by the German energy company, RWE npower. It is the second largest Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power station in the UK and has an overall efficiency in excess of 58%.

Former power plants

Photograph of Farndon taken in 1973 from the north end of Marsh Lane looking west showing Staythorpe A and B power stations in the distance

It was built on the site of two former CEGB coal-fired power stations, the 360 MW Staythorpe A (built July 1950) and B (built May 1962).[1] Staythorpe A was closed on 31 October 1983 and had a generating capacity of 112 MW.[2] Staythorpe B closed in 1994 with a generating capacity of 354 MW.[3] There is still a large substation next to the site of the former power stations, and a monument.

Planning process

Planning permission was given for the gas-fired power station as early as 1993, and construction originally began in 1998 by the previous owner National Power, temporarily ceasing in 2000 due to market saturation and low returns on electricity generation (high gas costs versus low electricity prices). Construction restarted in early 2008, after RWE decided to proceed with Staythorpe in May 2007 in preference to development at an alternate site in Pembrokeshire Pembroke.[4] The Pembrokeshire site was given the go ahead to proceed alongside Staythorpe in February 2009 once environmental conditions were assured to be met. The project at Staythorpe will be constructed under an Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract by Alstom Power.

Alstom Power Ltd, the construction contractors, applied to Newark and Sherwood District Council in October 2008 for planning permission to develop an additional storage depot immediately adjacent to the village of Staythorpe.[5] Many villagers have expressed concern about this and a campaign to oppose it has been set up.

It is situated around one mile from Newark, between the villages of Averham, to the north, and Farndon, to the south with the address Staythorpe Road, Staythorpe, NG23 5PS. The north-east section of the power station is in the Averham parish, with the rest in Staythorpe.

The electricity 400 kV ZA transmission line from Staythorpe to Grendon, Northamptonshire is being upgraded to prepare for the new power station.

Resourcing of construction labour

The GMB and Unite trade unions demonstrated at the station when Alstom recruited non-UK contract labour to build the power station.[6]

Specification

Staythorpe Power Station unit A

Staythorpe is a CCGT power station that runs primarily on natural gas, but has the theoretical (not commissioned) option to switch to (distillate) light fuel oil. It will generate enough electricity for two million homes. It will consist of four KA26-1 modules, generating around 430 MWe each, each with an Alstom 288 MWe GT26B gas turbine, triple-pressure heat recovery steam generator and steam turbine.[7] Electricity will be generated using Alstom TOPGAS hydrogen-cooled generators.[8] The plant will have a thermal efficiency of around 58%.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.npower.com/prod_consuma/groups/wcms_content/@wcms/@micr/documents/microsites/wcms_006007.jpg
  2. ↑ Mr. Redmond (16 January 1984). "Coal-fired Power Stations". Hansard. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  3. ↑ "Generation disconnections since 1991". http://www.nationalgrid.com/. 2003. Retrieved 5 October 2009. External link in |work= (help)
  4. ↑ http://www.rwe.com/generator.aspx/konzern/verantwortung/aktuelles/2007/0530/language=en/id=476940/page.html
  5. ↑ http://www.nsdc.info/eplanning/default.aspx?sid=1&sindex=1&id=2&refno=08/02006/FULM
  6. ↑ "Sustained demonstrations will continue outside Staythorpe power station". Unite. 28 January 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  7. ↑ http://www.power.alstom.com/home/equipment___systems/turbines/gas_turbines/gt24_and_gt26___188mw_and_281mw_/34621.EN.php?languageId=EN&dir=/home/equipment___systems/turbines/gas_turbines/gt24_and_gt26___188mw_and_281mw_/
  8. ↑ http://www.power.alstom.com/home/equipment___systems/generators/turbogenerators/topgas/6582.EN.php?languageId=EN&dir=/home/equipment___systems/generators/turbogenerators/topgas/
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