Peterhead Power Station

Last updated

Peterhead Power Station
Peterhead Power Station... (geograph 7200003).jpg
Viewed from Stirling Hill, looking north towards Peterhead Bay
Peterhead Power Station
CountryScotland
Location Aberdeenshire
Coordinates 57°28′38″N1°47′20″W / 57.477213°N 1.788879°W / 57.477213; -1.788879 Coordinates: 57°28′38″N1°47′20″W / 57.477213°N 1.788879°W / 57.477213; -1.788879
Construction began1973 [1]
Commission date 1980 [1]
Operator(s) SSE plc
Thermal power station
Primary fuelNatural gas-fired (originally Oil-fired)
Combined cycle?Yes
Power generation
Nameplate capacity 2,177 MW

grid reference NK127430

Peterhead Power Station is a 2,177 MW (1,550 MW transmissible) multi unit station owned and operated by SSE plc near Boddam and the A90, just south of Peterhead, in Aberdeenshire in the north east of Scotland. It stands next to the circa-1800-built Sandford Lodge. Originally an oil fired and then a fossil gas power station, the plant also has been the site of experimental hydrogen generation capacity as well.

Contents

In 2016, the site was part of a controversy around a failed hydrogen and Carbon capture and storage scheme with BP, which ultimately failed. [2] In 2022 the company proposed a new Carbon Capture and storage plan. [3]

History

Oil-fired power station

The station was originally planned as a 1320 MWe oil-fired power station consisting of two 676 MWe generating units. Designed by Robert Matthew Johnson Marshall & Partners, [4] construction began in May 1973, completed in 1978, [4] with one unit opening in 1980, and the other in 1982. [1] The original owner was the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board. The proximity of the station to St Fergus gas terminal meant, however, that the boilers were converted to burn gas as well as oil. When it opened, it burnt waste gas from the Brent oilfield, before this gas was refined at the Mossmorran refinery near Cowdenbeath, and the price of oil was uneconomic to use. By 1984, the price of oil made it economic to burn. [1]

One fatality occurred on 19 June 1982. A machinist was crushed during the failed lift of a large surface grinder. 41 year old Joseph Smith, worked in the machine shop of the oil-fired power station for his full working life.

Gas turbines

In the early 1990s the owners (Scottish Hydro Electric) entered into a contract with BP to burn sour gas from the Miller Field. In order to satisfy the terms of this contract two further units were built (two 120 MW Open Cycle gas turbine) with a primary function to burn Miller gas when the two main units were unavailable.

These gas turbines have now been decommissioned and the plant sold to a firm in Africa, where they will be used in a de-salination plant.

Gas was brought into a new gas reception facility called the "PGRF". Due to the nature of the gas all carbon steel piping had to comply with NACE Specification MR 01 75 (90) which required limits on sulphur and carbon content.

The gas supply line from the PGRF was installed by Motherwell Bridge Projects from 1990 to 1991. The piping system consisted of carbon steel piping ranging from 30" to 20" fully welded and tested producing a high integrity system. The system feeds both units terminating on the air preheater roof where the main boiler feeds are controlled through a gas header. The header consists of three 14" and one 10" valve.

Combined cycle gas turbines

In 2000 the station completed a major repowering project to increase the efficiency and capacity of the station. Three gas turbines were utilised in an innovative manner to provide steam to one of the original steam turbines. [5] These changes allowed for 1150 MWe of output to be delivered at 57% thermal efficiency compared with the plant's original 37%.

The installed capacity of Peterhead increased to 2407 MWe in November 2007 following a compressor and combustion control upgrade on GT11, 12 and 13 making it the largest power station in Scotland ahead of Longannet. The transmission system at Peterhead however, limits production to 1550 MWe.

In May 2009 GT3 and GT4 were decommissioned. The installed capacity of Peterhead is now reduced to 2177 MW.

The power station was refurbished during 2015, and returned to service in November 2015. The station is now configured for flexibly and efficiently generating between 240 MWe and 400 MWe, with a Supplemental Balancing Reserve (SBR) contract for an additional 750 MWe to provide occasional back-up over the winter period. [6] [7]

The station has secured contracts up to 2021/22 and is scheduled to produce 1.05GW in 2019/20 and 1.06GW in 2020/21. [8]

Hydrogen power plant

In 2006 there were plans to produce 350 MWe of power from hydrogen produced from methane, with the resulting carbon dioxide being pumped into the Miller Field by BP using carbon capture. It would have been the first large scale hydrogen power plant. On 23 May 2007, BP pulled the plug [9] on the carbon capture idea after losing patience waiting for UK government approval, with concern over the long term storage capacity of the Miller Field. [2]

Specification

The three 277 MWe V94.3A (now called SGT5-4000F) Siemens gas turbines provide a CCGT-type system of power generation, with three Doosan Babcock heat recovery steam generators providing steam to one (older) steam turbine.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drax Power Station</span> Biomass power station in North Yorkshire

Drax power station is a large biomass power station in Drax, North Yorkshire, England, capable of co-firing petroleum coke. It has a 2.6 GW capacity for biomass and 1.29 GW capacity for coal. Its name comes from the nearby village of Drax. It is situated on the River Ouse between Selby and Goole. Its generating capacity of 3,906 megawatts (MW) is the highest of any power station in the United Kingdom, providing about 6% of the United Kingdom's electricity supply.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combined cycle power plant</span> Assembly of heat engines that work in tandem from the same source of heat

A combined cycle power plant is an assembly of heat engines that work in tandem from the same source of heat, converting it into mechanical energy. On land, when used to make electricity the most common type is called a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant. The same principle is also used for marine propulsion, where it is called a combined gas and steam (COGAS) plant. Combining two or more thermodynamic cycles improves overall efficiency, which reduces fuel costs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fossil fuel power station</span> Facility that burns fossil fuels to produce electricity

A fossil fuel power station is a thermal power station which burns a fossil fuel, such as coal or natural gas, to produce electricity. Fossil fuel power stations have machinery to convert the heat energy of combustion into mechanical energy, which then operates an electrical generator. The prime mover may be a steam turbine, a gas turbine or, in small plants, a reciprocating gas engine. All plants use the energy extracted from the expansion of a hot gas, either steam or combustion gases. Although different energy conversion methods exist, all thermal power station conversion methods have their efficiency limited by the Carnot efficiency and therefore produce waste heat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thermal power station</span> Power plant that generates electricity from heat energy

A thermal power station is a type of power station in which heat energy is converted to electrical energy. In a steam-generating cycle heat is used to boil water in a large pressure vessel to produce high-pressure steam, which drives a steam turbine connected to an electrical generator. The low-pressure exhaust from the turbine enters a steam condenser where it is cooled to produce hot condensate which is recycled to the heating process to generate more high pressure steam. This is known as a Rankine cycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cockenzie power station</span> Former coal-fired power station in Scotland

Cockenzie power station was a coal-fired power station in East Lothian, Scotland. It was situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, near the town of Cockenzie and Port Seton, 8 mi (13 km) east of the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. The station dominated the local coastline with its distinctive twin chimneys from 1967 until the chimneys' demolition in September 2015. Initially operated by the nationalised South of Scotland Electricity Board, it was operated by Scottish Power following the privatisation of the industry in 1991. In 2005 a WWF report named Cockenzie as the UK's least carbon-efficient power station, in terms of carbon dioxide released per unit of energy generated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrybridge power stations</span> Three coal-fired power stations in West Yorkshire, England

The Ferrybridge power stations were a series of three coal-fired power stations on the River Aire near Ferrybridge in West Yorkshire, England, in operation from 1927 to 2016 on a site next to the junction of the M62 and A1(M) motorways.

An integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) is a technology using a high pressure gasifier to turn coal and other carbon based fuels into pressurized gas—synthesis gas (syngas). It can then remove impurities from the syngas prior to the electricity generation cycle. Some of these pollutants, such as sulfur, can be turned into re-usable byproducts through the Claus process. This results in lower emissions of sulfur dioxide, particulates, mercury, and in some cases carbon dioxide. With additional process equipment, a water-gas shift reaction can increase gasification efficiency and reduce carbon monoxide emissions by converting it to carbon dioxide. The resulting carbon dioxide from the shift reaction can be separated, compressed, and stored through sequestration. Excess heat from the primary combustion and syngas fired generation is then passed to a steam cycle, similar to a combined cycle gas turbine. This process results in improved thermodynamic efficiency compared to conventional pulverized coal combustion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salt End</span> Hamlet in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Salt End or Saltend is a hamlet in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in an area known as Holderness. It is situated on the north bank of the Humber Estuary just outside the Hull eastern boundary on the A1033 road. It forms part of the civil parish of Preston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narva Power Plants</span> Oil shale-fired power generation complex in Estonia

The Narva Power Plants are a power generation complex in and near Narva in Estonia, near the border with Leningrad Oblast, Russia. The complex consists of the world's two largest oil shale-fired thermal power plants, Eesti Power Plant and Balti Power Plant. In 2007, Narva Power Plants generated about 95% of total power production in Estonia. The complex is owned and operated by AS Narva Elektrijaamad, a subsidiary of Eesti Energia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coal-fired power station</span> Facility that converts coal into electricity

A coal-fired power station or coal power plant is a thermal power station which burns coal to generate electricity. Worldwide there are about 8,500 coal-fired power stations totaling over 2,000 gigawatts capacity. They generate about a third of the world's electricity, but cause many illnesses and early deaths, mainly from air pollution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damhead Creek power station</span> Gas-fired power station in Kent, England

Damhead Creek power station is a 792 MWe gas-fired power station in Kent, England, on the Hoo Peninsula. It is near the site of the decommissioned Kingsnorth power station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grain Power Station</span> Power station in Kent, England

Grain Power Station is a CCGT power station and former oil-fired power station in Kent, England, with operational capacity of 1,275 megawatts (1,710,000 hp) owned by Uniper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Littlebrook Power Station</span> Series of four oil and coal-fired power stations in Dartford, Kent

The Littlebrook Power Station were a series of four oil and coal-fired power stations situated on the south bank of the River Thames, next to the Queen Elizabeth 2 Bridge and the Dartford Tunnel in Dartford, Kent. The final power station, Littlebrook D, ceased operating in March 2015, and has now been demolished.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chalk Point Generating Station</span> Electricity-generating plant owned by NRG Energy

The Chalk Point Generating Station is an electricity-generating plant, comprising oil and natural gas fired units, owned by NRG Energy, located near the town of Eagle Harbor, Maryland, United States, on the Patuxent River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keadby Power Station</span> Gas-fired power station

Keadby Power Station is a 734 MWe gas-fired power station near Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire. It lies near the B1392 and the River Trent, and the Scunthorpe-Grimsby railway. Also nearby is the Stainforth and Keadby Canal, which is part of the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation. The station is operated by SSE Thermal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Barford Power Station</span>

Little Barford Power Station is a gas-fired power station just north of the village of Little Barford in Bedfordshire, England. It lies just south of the A428 St Neots bypass and east of the Wyboston Leisure Park. The River Great Ouse runs alongside. It was formerly the site of two coal-fired power stations, now demolished. The station is operated by RWE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staythorpe Power Station</span>

Staythorpe C Power Station is a 1,735 MWe gas-fired power station at Staythorpe between Southwell and Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire, England, between the River Trent and Nottingham to Lincoln railway line. The station was handed over to the owner RWE 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.

Carrington Power Station is a combined cycle gas turbine power station, which was completed in Autumn 2016 and began commercial operation on 18 September 2016. It is located on the site of a former coal-fired power station, close to the villages of Carrington and Partington in the Greater Manchester Area and 12 km (7.5 mi) southwest of Manchester City Centre. The Manchester Ship Canal and the River Mersey run alongside the site, in Trafford, Greater Manchester, in North West England.

Termosolar Borges is a hybrid biomass-parabolic trough solar thermal power plant which provides electricity to Spain's transmission system. It is located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of Barcelona, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south-east of Lleida, near Les Borges Blanques, Catalonia, Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lerwick Power Station</span>

The main power supply for Shetland is provided by Lerwick Power Station, located in Gremista, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) northwest of Lerwick town centre. This is the principal source of electrical energy for Shetland, however currently about 20 MWe is provided by the Sullom Voe Terminal power station which comprises 4 x 23 MWe Gas Turbines, the future of which is uncertain. Opened on 27 May 1953 the station is diesel-fuelled and generates a total of 66 MW of power.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Peterhead Power Station". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Blame row erupts over power plant". BBC Online . Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  3. "SSE submits Peterhead power station application". Scottish Construction Now. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  4. 1 2 McKean, Charles (1990). Banff & Buchan: An Illustrated Architectural Guide. Mainstream Publications Ltd. p. 164. ISBN   185158-231-2.
  5. "Peterhead". SSE. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  6. "Peterhead power station returns to grid after major refurb". Scottish Energy News. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  7. "Peterhead power station welcomes £15m National Grid deal". BBC. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  8. "PETERHEAD SECURES CAPACITY CONTRACTS IN RWE TRANSFER". SSE. 9 August 2019. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020.
  9. "BP pulls out of green power plant". BBC Online . Retrieved 15 March 2013.