Great Yarmouth Power Station
Encyclopedia
Great Yarmouth Power Station is Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power station
on South Denes Road in Great Yarmouth
in Norfolk
with a maximum output of 420MW electricity, opened in 2001. It is built on the site of an oil-fired power station
, built in 1958 and closed and demolished in the 1990s. Another power station was built in Great Yarmouth in 1894 and operated until 1961.
after which is again remained unused until 1994 which demolition began. On 5 May 1997 the main building a chimney were demolished via a controlled explosion
watched by thousands of people from the roads on the other side of the River Yare
. The demolition of the 360 feet (109.7 m) chimney, which was a landmark of Great Yarmouth, and which had been the tallest structure in Norfolk
was controversial.
The current gas power station plant was built on the site by Bechtel
for BP
between 1998 and 2001. The plant was operated by GE
International, trading as IGE Energy Services (UK) Ltd and was then bought by RWE
(trading as npower
) in November 2005 for £155m.
type power station that runs on natural gas. It has one 265MWe General Electric
Frame 9 (9001FA+E) gas turbine
with the exhaust gas heating a Doosan
heat recovery steam generator, leading to a 150MWe General Electric steam turbine
. It has a dedicated pipeline to connect to the Interconnector
gas pipeline and the Bacton Gas Terminal
a few miles to the north-west. At 420MW, it generates enough electricity for around 350,000 homes. It has a thermal efficiency
of 57%. The terminal voltage of the plant is 19kV, which meets the distribution network of EDF Energy
via a transformer at 132kV. The steam condenser uses about 9 tonnes of water a second from the River Yare
.
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
on South Denes Road in Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
with a maximum output of 420MW electricity, opened in 2001. It is built on the site of an oil-fired power station
Fossil fuel power plant
A fossil-fuel power station is a power station that burns fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas or petroleum to produce electricity. Central station fossil-fuel power plants are designed on a large scale for continuous operation...
, built in 1958 and closed and demolished in the 1990s. Another power station was built in Great Yarmouth in 1894 and operated until 1961.
History
Great Yarmouth's first power station which used coal was built in 1894 and demolished in 1961 together with its iconic large chimney. Before demolition a second much larger plant, built on the South Denes, had opened in September 1958. This plant produced power until it was first scheduled to close in 1984 before briefly being used again during the UK miners' strike (1984–1985)UK miners' strike (1984–1985)
The UK miners' strike was a major industrial action affecting the British coal industry. It was a defining moment in British industrial relations, and its defeat significantly weakened the British trades union movement...
after which is again remained unused until 1994 which demolition began. On 5 May 1997 the main building a chimney were demolished via a controlled explosion
Controlled explosion
A controlled explosion is a method for detonating or disabling a suspected explosive device.Methods which are used to set off a controlled explosion include emptying out the area and moving the package into a confined space such as a telephone booth.Another classic method of controlled explosion...
watched by thousands of people from the roads on the other side of the River Yare
River Yare
The River Yare is a river in the English county of Norfolk. In its lower reaches the river connects with the navigable waterways of The Broads....
. The demolition of the 360 feet (109.7 m) chimney, which was a landmark of Great Yarmouth, and which had been the tallest structure in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
was controversial.
The current gas power station plant was built on the site by Bechtel
Bechtel
Bechtel Corporation is the largest engineering company in the United States, ranking as the 5th-largest privately owned company in the U.S...
for BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
between 1998 and 2001. The plant was operated by GE
Gê
Gê are the people who spoke Ge languages of the northern South American Caribbean coast and Brazil. In Brazil the Gê were found in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Piaui, Mato Grosso, Goias, Tocantins, Maranhão, and as far south as Paraguay....
International, trading as IGE Energy Services (UK) Ltd and was then bought by RWE
RWE
RWE AG , is a German electric power and natural gas public utility company based in Essen. Through its various subsidiaries, the energy company contributes electricity and gas to more than 20 million electricity customers and 10 million gas customers, principally in Europe...
(trading as npower
Npower (UK)
RWE Npower plc is a UK-based electricity and gas supply generation company, formerly known as Innogy plc. As Innogy plc it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
) in November 2005 for £155m.
Specification
It is a CCGTCombined cycle
In electric power generation a combined cycle is an assembly of heat engines that work in tandem off the same source of heat, converting it into mechanical energy, which in turn usually drives electrical generators...
type power station that runs on natural gas. It has one 265MWe General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
Frame 9 (9001FA+E) gas turbine
Gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
with the exhaust gas heating a Doosan
Doosan Babcock
Doosan Babcock, is part of Doosan Power Systems Ltd a UK-based subsidiary of Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction. DPS is a power sector utility boiler OEM and after market services company, offering specialist services and technologies to clients in the nuclear power generation, fossil-fired...
heat recovery steam generator, leading to a 150MWe General Electric steam turbine
Steam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
. It has a dedicated pipeline to connect to the Interconnector
Interconnector
The Interconnector is a natural gas pipeline between the United Kingdom and continental Europe. It crosses the North Sea between Bacton Gas Terminal in England and Zeebrugge in Belgium. Construction of the pipeline was completed in 1998. It provides bi-directional transport capability to...
gas pipeline and the Bacton Gas Terminal
Bacton Gas Terminal
The Bacton Gas Terminal is a large gas terminal found on the North Sea coast in North Norfolk near Paston and between Bacton and Mundesley. The nearest main town is North Walsham. The other main UK gas terminals are at St Fergus, Aberdeenshire and the Easington, East Riding of...
a few miles to the north-west. At 420MW, it generates enough electricity for around 350,000 homes. It has a thermal efficiency
Thermal efficiency
In thermodynamics, the thermal efficiency is a dimensionless performance measure of a device that uses thermal energy, such as an internal combustion engine, a boiler, a furnace, or a refrigerator for example.-Overview:...
of 57%. The terminal voltage of the plant is 19kV, which meets the distribution network of EDF Energy
EDF Energy
EDF Energy is an integrated energy company in the United Kingdom, with operations spanning electricity generation and the sale of gas and electricity to homes and businesses throughout the United Kingdom...
via a transformer at 132kV. The steam condenser uses about 9 tonnes of water a second from the River Yare
River Yare
The River Yare is a river in the English county of Norfolk. In its lower reaches the river connects with the navigable waterways of The Broads....
.