Kingsnorth power station
Encyclopedia
Kingsnorth is a dual-fired coal
and oil
power station
on the Hoo Peninsula
at Medway
in Kent
, South East England
. The four-unit station is owned and operated by energy firm E.ON UK, and has a generating capacity of 1,940 megawatts. It is capable of operating on either coal or oil though in practice oil is used only as a secondary fuel or for startup. It is also capable of co-firing biofuel
, up to a maximum of 10% of the station's fuel mix. Under EU pollution regulations it is due to close by 2016, but a replacement power station, also coal-fired, is planned by owners E.ON. The proposed replacement has attracted substantial public protests and criticism, including the 2008 Camp for Climate Action
.
airship base
, the station was constructed between 1963 and 1973 by the then Central Electricity Generating Board
. From 1975 to the early 1980s, Kingsnorth was linked to the London power grid by HVDC Kingsnorth
, one of the few examples of high-voltage direct current
transmission then in use.
Kingsnorth has been opted out of the European Union
's Large Combustion Plants Directive, which means it will only be allowed to run for up to 20,000 hours after 1 January 2008 (around 2 and a half years' continuous running) and must close by 31 December 2015.
On the evening of January 2, 2010, a fire broke out in one of the pump rooms of the power station. The fire was put out by fifteen fire engines and five specialist units, though the building was badly damaged and had to be shut down.
E.ON expects the supercritical units to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions per unit of electricity by around 20%, as compared to the existing subcritical plant. E.ON also says the new units will be "capture ready" to allow the option of retrofitting with carbon capture and storage
(CCS). Their environmental statement reads:
On 31 March 2008 E.ON announced that the new Kingsnorth power station would be used in a bid for the Government's carbon capture and storage
competition. In addition E.ON proposed that the planning decision should be delayed until after the Government has completed its consultation on CCS.
On 30 June 2008 it was announced that Kingsnorth project had proceeded to the next stage of the competition (prequalification) with three other competitors.
In March 2009 Ed Miliband said that he was postponing a decision on Kingsnorth and then E.ON chief executive said that "Without commercial carbon capture, it's 'game over'"
On 7 October 2009 E.ON postponed the replacement until at least 2016.
On 20 October 2010 it was announced that the build of the replacement had been shelved.
Climate scientist and head of the NASA
Goddard Institute for Space Studies
James E. Hansen condemned the building of new coal power stations within carbon capture, stating: In the face of such threats [from climate change
] it is madness to propose a new generation of power plants based on burning coal, which is the dirtiest and most polluting of all the fossil fuels. We need a moratorium on the construction of coal-fired power plants and we must phase out the existing ones within two decades He is however more accepting of coal with CCS stating that Coal could still be a long-term energy source for power plants, if the carbon dioxide is captured and sequestered underground.
Greenpeace is sceptical that CCS technology is viable.
Criticism comes from the large greenhouse gas
emissions associated with burning coal and its effect on the atmosphere and global warming
. Much of the criticism comes from the inefficiencies of coal power plants compared to gas power plants
, particularly combined heat and power
plants.
protesters were arrested for breaking in to the power station, climbing the 200 metre chimney, painting the word Gordon on the chimney and causing an estimated £30,000 damage. At their subsequent trial they admitted trying to shut the station down but argued that they were legally justified because they were trying to prevent climate change from causing greater damage to property elsewhere around the world. Evidence was heard from David Cameron
's environment adviser Zac Goldsmith
, and an Inuit
leader from Greenland, both saying that climate change was already seriously affecting life around the world. The six were acquitted after arguing that they were legally justified in their actions to prevent climate change from causing greater damage to property around the world. It was the first case where preventing property damage caused by climate change has been used as part of a "lawful excuse" defence in court.
In December 2008 Greenpeace received a letter from the Crown Prosecution Service
revealing that the Attorney-General
was close to referring the case of the Kingsnorth Six to the Court of Appeal
in an effort to remove the defence of ‘lawful excuse' from activists. Also in December the New York Times listed the acquittal in its annual list of the most influential ideas that will change our lives
was held near the power station and 50 people were arrested trying to break into the site. Some of the tactics used by police during the demonstration have been the subject of complaints, a judicial review
, and mainstream media criticism.
. There was an hour-long stand-off with security staff before they boarded the plant's jetty and demonstrated while others set up camp on a concrete island owned by E.ON. Protesters projected campaign messages on the building, and then on a bulldozer brought in by the company to block the image, until the early hours of the following morning when they were served with a high court injunction.
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
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...
on the Hoo Peninsula
Hoo Peninsula
The Hoo Peninsula is a peninsula in England separating the estuaries of the rivers Thames and Medway. It is dominated by a line of sand and clay hills, surrounded by an extensive area of marshland composed of alluvial silt. The name Hoo is the Old English word for spur of land.-History:The Romans...
at Medway
Medway
Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, South East England
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
. The four-unit station is owned and operated by energy firm E.ON UK, and has a generating capacity of 1,940 megawatts. It is capable of operating on either coal or oil though in practice oil is used only as a secondary fuel or for startup. It is also capable of co-firing biofuel
Biofuel
Biofuel is a type of fuel whose energy is derived from biological carbon fixation. Biofuels include fuels derived from biomass conversion, as well as solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases...
, up to a maximum of 10% of the station's fuel mix. Under EU pollution regulations it is due to close by 2016, but a replacement power station, also coal-fired, is planned by owners E.ON. The proposed replacement has attracted substantial public protests and criticism, including the 2008 Camp for Climate Action
Camp for Climate Action
The Camps for Climate Action are campaign gatherings that take place to draw attention to, and act as a base for direct action against, major carbon emitters, as well as to develop ways to create a zero-carbon society...
.
History
Built on the site of a former World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
airship base
RNAS Kingsnorth
RNAS Kingsnorth was a First World War Royal Navy air station for seaplanes and airships, mainly operating as an experimental and training station, but also providing anti-submarine patrols...
, the station was constructed between 1963 and 1973 by the then Central Electricity Generating Board
CEGB
The Central Electricity Generating Board was the cornerstone of the British electricity industry for almost 40 years; from 1957, to privatisation in the 1990s....
. From 1975 to the early 1980s, Kingsnorth was linked to the London power grid by HVDC Kingsnorth
HVDC Kingsnorth
HVDC Kingsnorth was a high-voltage direct-current transmission system at Kingsnorth in Kent. It was at one time the only application of the technology of high voltage direct current transmission for the supply of transformer stations in a city....
, one of the few examples of high-voltage direct current
High-voltage direct current
A high-voltage, direct current electric power transmission system uses direct current for the bulk transmission of electrical power, in contrast with the more common alternating current systems. For long-distance transmission, HVDC systems may be less expensive and suffer lower electrical losses...
transmission then in use.
Kingsnorth has been opted out of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
's Large Combustion Plants Directive, which means it will only be allowed to run for up to 20,000 hours after 1 January 2008 (around 2 and a half years' continuous running) and must close by 31 December 2015.
On the evening of January 2, 2010, a fire broke out in one of the pump rooms of the power station. The fire was put out by fifteen fire engines and five specialist units, though the building was badly damaged and had to be shut down.
Proposed replacement
As a replacement for the four old Kingsnorth units, in October 2006 E.ON proposed the construction of two new coal-fired units, Kingsnorth Units 5 and 6. E.ON currently propose constructing two new 800 MW supercritical coal-fired power units on the site, to be operational "as early as 2012". If completed, this would be the first new coal powered plant in the UK since the completion of the Drax power station in 1986.E.ON expects the supercritical units to reduce carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
emissions per unit of electricity by around 20%, as compared to the existing subcritical plant. E.ON also says the new units will be "capture ready" to allow the option of retrofitting with carbon capture and storage
Carbon capture and storage
Carbon capture and storage , alternatively referred to as carbon capture and sequestration, is a technology to prevent large quantities of from being released into the atmosphere from the use of fossil fuel in power generation and other industries. It is often regarded as a means of mitigating...
(CCS). Their environmental statement reads:
"CCS will be considered as an option...subject to the process of CCS being allowed by law and incentivised by a suitable framework and technological hurdles for the process being overcome"
On 31 March 2008 E.ON announced that the new Kingsnorth power station would be used in a bid for the Government's carbon capture and storage
Carbon capture and storage
Carbon capture and storage , alternatively referred to as carbon capture and sequestration, is a technology to prevent large quantities of from being released into the atmosphere from the use of fossil fuel in power generation and other industries. It is often regarded as a means of mitigating...
competition. In addition E.ON proposed that the planning decision should be delayed until after the Government has completed its consultation on CCS.
On 30 June 2008 it was announced that Kingsnorth project had proceeded to the next stage of the competition (prequalification) with three other competitors.
In March 2009 Ed Miliband said that he was postponing a decision on Kingsnorth and then E.ON chief executive said that "Without commercial carbon capture, it's 'game over'"
On 7 October 2009 E.ON postponed the replacement until at least 2016.
On 20 October 2010 it was announced that the build of the replacement had been shelved.
Criticism
The building of ‘Kingsnorth 2’ has come under much criticism from many groups including:- Christian AidChristian AidChristian Aid is the official relief and development agency of 40 British and Irish churches and works to support sustainable development, alleviate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster relief in South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa and Asia...
who note that the emissions from the plant will be over 10 times the annual emissions from RwandaRwandaRwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo... - GreenpeaceGreenpeaceGreenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
- The Royal Society
- The Royal Society for the Protection of BirdsRoyal Society for the Protection of BirdsBird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...
- World Development MovementWorld Development MovementThe World Development Movement is a membership organisation in the United Kingdom which campaigns on issues of global justice and development in the Global South....
. - The WWFWorld Wide Fund for NatureThe World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
- The CPRE
Climate scientist and head of the NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Goddard Institute for Space Studies
Goddard Institute for Space Studies
The NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies , at Columbia University in New York City, is a component laboratory of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Earth-Sun Exploration Division and a unit of The Earth Institute at Columbia University...
James E. Hansen condemned the building of new coal power stations within carbon capture, stating: In the face of such threats [from climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
] it is madness to propose a new generation of power plants based on burning coal, which is the dirtiest and most polluting of all the fossil fuels. We need a moratorium on the construction of coal-fired power plants and we must phase out the existing ones within two decades He is however more accepting of coal with CCS stating that Coal could still be a long-term energy source for power plants, if the carbon dioxide is captured and sequestered underground.
Greenpeace is sceptical that CCS technology is viable.
Criticism comes from the large greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions associated with burning coal and its effect on the atmosphere and global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
. Much of the criticism comes from the inefficiencies of coal power plants compared to gas power plants
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
, particularly combined heat and power
Combined Heat and Power
Combined Heat and Power may refer to:* Cogeneration* Combined Heat and Power Solar...
plants.
Greenpeace - October 2007
Six GreenpeaceGreenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
protesters were arrested for breaking in to the power station, climbing the 200 metre chimney, painting the word Gordon on the chimney and causing an estimated £30,000 damage. At their subsequent trial they admitted trying to shut the station down but argued that they were legally justified because they were trying to prevent climate change from causing greater damage to property elsewhere around the world. Evidence was heard from David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
's environment adviser Zac Goldsmith
Zac Goldsmith
Frank Zacharias Robin "Zac" Goldsmith, MP is an English environmental journalist, entrepreneur and Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Richmond Park since winning the seat at the 2010 general election.Goldsmith is the middle child of the late financier Sir...
, and an Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
leader from Greenland, both saying that climate change was already seriously affecting life around the world. The six were acquitted after arguing that they were legally justified in their actions to prevent climate change from causing greater damage to property around the world. It was the first case where preventing property damage caused by climate change has been used as part of a "lawful excuse" defence in court.
In December 2008 Greenpeace received a letter from the Crown Prosecution Service
Crown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...
revealing that the Attorney-General
Attorney General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General for England and Wales, the Attorney General serves as the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its government in...
was close to referring the case of the Kingsnorth Six to the Court of Appeal
Court of Criminal Appeal
The Court of Criminal Appeal is the name of existing courts of Scotland and Ireland, and an historic court in England and Wales.- Ireland :See Court of Criminal Appeal ...
in an effort to remove the defence of ‘lawful excuse' from activists. Also in December the New York Times listed the acquittal in its annual list of the most influential ideas that will change our lives
Climate Camp - August 2008
The 2008 Camp for Climate ActionCamp for Climate Action
The Camps for Climate Action are campaign gatherings that take place to draw attention to, and act as a base for direct action against, major carbon emitters, as well as to develop ways to create a zero-carbon society...
was held near the power station and 50 people were arrested trying to break into the site. Some of the tactics used by police during the demonstration have been the subject of complaints, a judicial review
Judicial review in English Law
Judicial review is a procedure in English administrative law by which the courts in England and Wales supervise the exercise of public power on the application of an individual...
, and mainstream media criticism.
Occupation - October 2008
On 29 October 2008, Greenpeace activists occupied part of the power station after accessing the site using boats including the Rainbow WarriorRainbow Warrior (1989)
The Rainbow Warrior is a three-masted schooner in service with the environmental protection organization Greenpeace. She was built from the hull of the deep sea fishing ship Ross Kashmir , which had been built in Selby, North Yorkshire and launched in 1957...
. There was an hour-long stand-off with security staff before they boarded the plant's jetty and demonstrated while others set up camp on a concrete island owned by E.ON. Protesters projected campaign messages on the building, and then on a bulldozer brought in by the company to block the image, until the early hours of the following morning when they were served with a high court injunction.
Taken off-line for four hours - November 2008
On 28 November 2008 a lone protester entered the plant undetected and shut down unit 2, one of the station's 500 MW turbines, leaving a message reading "no new coal". The turbine was offline for four hours.Greenpeace - June 2009
On 22 June 2009, ten Greenpeace activists boarded a fully loaded coal delivery ship bound for Kingsnorth.External links
- Kingsnorth power station - General information on Kingsnorth Power Station, including references to the Nature Reserve, one of the few of its kind in the region.
- No new coal - a lobby group opposing the replacement planned by E.ON