Vockerode Power Plant
Encyclopedia
Vockerode Power Plant was a lignite
and later also gas fired power plant in Vockerode
, east germany. It was built in 1937 and shut-down between 1994 and 1998.
s of the plant were demolished in 2001.
The first block of the lignite fired power plant (6 x 35 MW) was built between 1937 and 1940. After 1943 installation was begun on the world's first commercial HVDC, the Elbe Project
. It was completed in 1945, but never went in service.
After dismantling of the equipment during the soviet occupation the inverter hall
was transformed into a workshop and stands still today. A lot of equipment from the power plant was also dismantled. Between 1953 and 1959 the power plant was refurbished and a second block (12 x 36 MW) was built.
On July 22, 1960 an Ilyushin Il-14
plane of the GDR armed forces
scratched one of the chimneys and crashed. The six people on board the plane and a worker on the ground were killed.
After 1968 the city of Dessau
was supplied from Vockerode Power Plant via a 15 kilometres long line. In 1971 a gas turbine
power plant was built, which consisted of six 27 MW units. Between 1972 and 1974 greenhouse
facilities were built on an area of 64 hectare
s, which were heated by the power plant, for growing tomatoes and cucumbers.
The green house facilities were shut down in 1991, and demolished in 1997. In 1994 the lignite power plant was shut down. In 1998 the gas turbine power plant was shut down and on September 22, 2001 the chimneys were demolished by explosives. In 2005 the oil tanks of the gas turbine plant were demolished.
Lignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...
and later also gas fired power plant in Vockerode
Vockerode
Vockerode is a village and a former municipality in the district of Wittenberg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Oranienbaum-Wörlitz. At Vockerode, there was a large coal fired power plant, the Vockerode Power Plant. On the area of this power plant was the static...
, east germany. It was built in 1937 and shut-down between 1994 and 1998.
History
Vockerode has been the site of a power plant for almost 60 years. The four chimneyChimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
s of the plant were demolished in 2001.
The first block of the lignite fired power plant (6 x 35 MW) was built between 1937 and 1940. After 1943 installation was begun on the world's first commercial HVDC, the Elbe Project
Elbe Project
The Elbe Project was the name of the first commercial static high voltage direct current transmission system in the world, based on mercury arc valves....
. It was completed in 1945, but never went in service.
After dismantling of the equipment during the soviet occupation the inverter hall
Valve hall
A valve hall is a building which contains the valves of the static inverters of a HVDC plant. The valves consist of thyristors, or at older plants, mercury arc rectifiers. Mercury arc rectifiers are usually supported by insulators mounted on the floor, while thyristor valves may be either...
was transformed into a workshop and stands still today. A lot of equipment from the power plant was also dismantled. Between 1953 and 1959 the power plant was refurbished and a second block (12 x 36 MW) was built.
On July 22, 1960 an Ilyushin Il-14
Ilyushin Il-14
The Ilyushin Il-14 was a Soviet twin-engine commercial and military personnel and cargo transport aircraft that first flew in 1950, and entered service in 1954. Il-14 was also manufactured in East Germany by VVB Flugzeugbau, in Czechoslovakia as the Avia 14, and in China under the Chinese...
plane of the GDR armed forces
National People's Army
The National People’s Army were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic .The NVA was established in 1956 and disestablished in 1990. There were frequent reports of East German advisors with Communist African countries during the Cold War...
scratched one of the chimneys and crashed. The six people on board the plane and a worker on the ground were killed.
After 1968 the city of Dessau
Dessau
Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...
was supplied from Vockerode Power Plant via a 15 kilometres long line. In 1971 a 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....
power plant was built, which consisted of six 27 MW units. Between 1972 and 1974 greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
facilities were built on an area of 64 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s, which were heated by the power plant, for growing tomatoes and cucumbers.
The green house facilities were shut down in 1991, and demolished in 1997. In 1994 the lignite power plant was shut down. In 1998 the gas turbine power plant was shut down and on September 22, 2001 the chimneys were demolished by explosives. In 2005 the oil tanks of the gas turbine plant were demolished.