Wilton Power Station
Encyclopedia
The Wilton power stations (or SembCorp power station) refers to a series of coal
, oil
, gas
and biomass
fired CHP
power station
s which provide electricity and heat for the Wilton International Complex, with excess electricity being sold to the National Grid. It is located on the Wilton site in Redcar and Cleveland
, south of the town of Middlesbrough
in North East England
. The station has provided for the site since opening in 1952, when it was operated by ICI
. The station is currently owned and operated by SembCorp Industries.
It comprises a variety of generating sets, with units of different ages and various fuels. The station is currently mainly coal and oil fired, but also has a CCGT unit. Wilton 10 was opened at the station in 2007, the UK's first ever large scale biomass only power station. The power station's total generating capacity across all of its units is 227 megawatts. There are plans to build another plant, Wilton 11, a waste to energy plant.
(ICI), but they sold the station to American company Enron
in November 1998. In early 2002 Enron went bankrupt, and the station was sold to SembCorp.
The station has been approved as a "Good quality" combined heat and power
plant under the Combined Heat and Power Quality Assurance registration scheme. This means that despite burning fossil fuels like coal and oil, the station is exempt from the Climate Change Levy
, a tax which otherwise would have been put on the fuels supplied to the station and the electricity generated by it.
s have been in operation at the station. In the 1970s the station had a generating capacity of 300 MW and produced 1,200 tonnes of steam per hour. In this period the station was burning waste from the chemical site, byproducts such as: liquid petroleum gas, tars, waste lubricating oils, emulsion residues, waste from aromatic and olefin plants and hydrogen gas from the nylon plant. There are currently three generating sets in operation at the station, two of which are fired by coal
, the other of which is a gas turbine
fueled by natural gas
. Each of the two coal-fired generating sets are powered by a high pressure boiler, which are each capable of producing a continuous maximum rate of 280 tonnes per hour of steam, at 1700 psig. Each boiler is then connected to a 33 MW turbine generator. Intermediate pressure steam is then either diverted and fed to other plants in the complex, or sent to three secondary generating sets. After the secondary generating sets, low pressure steam can then be distributed to plants in the complex. Boiler Number 6, one of the coal boilers, was mothballed in 1997, however in 2001 it was refurbished and restored to operation. In 2002, one of the secondary turbines was replaced by a newer unit. In the same year, an automation project involving the boilers, turbines and ancillary equipment was completed.
to the Wilton rail delivery terminal
and unloaded at the station using a merry-go-round system
. The coal is provided by a small number of opencast
mines in Northumberland
.
Electricity is generated for the major plants on the Wilton complex at 11 kilovolts (kV) and distributed throughout the complex using one of the largest privately owned distribution systems in the world. This system is connected to the National Grid so that surplus electricity can be distributed using four National Grid owned transformers at 66 kV and 275 kV. On top of this, the station produces around 4,000,000 tonnes of steam per year for the plants on the complex.
In late 2003, plans to install a 40 MW gas turbine
at the station were finally fulfilled, after they were put off because of then owner Enron's bankruptcy. The gas turbine installation was completed in 2004, and it replaced an oil-fired
boiler at the station, resulting in reduced emissions from the station. However, the station has retained the flexibility to fire oil as a backup to coal and gas.
In October 2003, SembCorp applied to the Environment Agency
for permission to burn 110,000 tonnes of cow fat
(tallow) from the carcasses of animals slaughtered during the BSE Crisis of 1996. The tallow bought was a large portion of the 200,000 tonne stockpile stored on farms in Merseyside
and near London
. The tallow was brought to the station by road tanker from Merseyside. At the power station it was stored in a tanker, awaiting burning. Following consultation and a 10,000 tonne trial burn between March and May 2004, permission for the burning of the tallow was granted in August 2004. Following a £55 million boiler overhaul in 2005, the station began co-firing biomass
.
. 400 people were employed in the station's construction and there are 15 permanent jobs at the station. The station burns 300,000 tonnes of a combination of sustainable wood
, sawmill
waste and otherwise unusable wood offcuts a year to produce 30 megawatts (MW) of electricity, as well as 10 MW of thermal energy in the form of steam
, which is piped for use in the rest of the Wilton complex. It operates separately from the fossil fuel power station. 80,000 tonnes of waste wood is supplied to the station each year from neighbouring company UK Wood Recycling.
to build a £200 million waste to energy plant alongside the current plants, known as Wilton 11. The plant would treat up to 400,000 tonnes of waste a year to generate 35 MW of electricity. The plant should be covered by previous planning permission for the Wilton site, and construction is expected to begin in 2012, following public consultation, in time for a 2015 completion date. Between 150 and 200 jobs would be created in construction, and around 50 permanent jobs created once the plant is completed. There is a possibility that the plant could be supplied with waste using the site's already existing rail link.
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...
, oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
, gas
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...
and biomass
Biomass
Biomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....
fired CHP
Cogeneration
Cogeneration is the use of a heat engine or a power station to simultaneously generate both electricity and useful heat....
power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
s which provide electricity and heat for the Wilton International Complex, with excess electricity being sold to the National Grid. It is located on the Wilton site in Redcar and Cleveland
Redcar and Cleveland
The borough of Redcar & Cleveland is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England consisting of Redcar, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Guisborough, and small towns such as Brotton, Eston, Skelton and Loftus. It had a resident population of 139,132 in 2001, and is part of the Tees...
, south of the town of Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
in North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
. The station has provided for the site since opening in 1952, when it was operated by ICI
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
. The station is currently owned and operated by SembCorp Industries.
It comprises a variety of generating sets, with units of different ages and various fuels. The station is currently mainly coal and oil fired, but also has a CCGT unit. Wilton 10 was opened at the station in 2007, the UK's first ever large scale biomass only power station. The power station's total generating capacity across all of its units is 227 megawatts. There are plans to build another plant, Wilton 11, a waste to energy plant.
History
Wilton Power Station has been generating electricity and providing steam to the plants on the Wilton International complex since March 1952. A secondary turbine commissioned at the station in November 1951 is still operating there today. For a long time the station was operated by Imperial Chemical IndustriesImperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
(ICI), but they sold the station to American company Enron
Enron
Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 staff and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with...
in November 1998. In early 2002 Enron went bankrupt, and the station was sold to SembCorp.
The station has been approved as a "Good quality" combined heat and power
Combined Heat and Power
Combined Heat and Power may refer to:* Cogeneration* Combined Heat and Power Solar...
plant under the Combined Heat and Power Quality Assurance registration scheme. This means that despite burning fossil fuels like coal and oil, the station is exempt from the Climate Change Levy
Climate Change Levy
The Climate Change Levy is a tax on energy delivered to non-domestic users in the United Kingdom. Its aim is to provide an incentive to increase energy efficiency and to reduce carbon emissions, however there have been ongoing calls to replace it with a proper carbon tax.-Scope and...
, a tax which otherwise would have been put on the fuels supplied to the station and the electricity generated by it.
Specification
Wilton Power Station is a 197 megawatt (MW) fossil fuel power station, which is currently in constant operation. Over the years, nine boilerBoiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
s have been in operation at the station. In the 1970s the station had a generating capacity of 300 MW and produced 1,200 tonnes of steam per hour. In this period the station was burning waste from the chemical site, byproducts such as: liquid petroleum gas, tars, waste lubricating oils, emulsion residues, waste from aromatic and olefin plants and hydrogen gas from the nylon plant. There are currently three generating sets in operation at the station, two of which are fired by coal
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...
, the other of which is 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....
fueled by natural gas
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...
. Each of the two coal-fired generating sets are powered by a high pressure boiler, which are each capable of producing a continuous maximum rate of 280 tonnes per hour of steam, at 1700 psig. Each boiler is then connected to a 33 MW turbine generator. Intermediate pressure steam is then either diverted and fed to other plants in the complex, or sent to three secondary generating sets. After the secondary generating sets, low pressure steam can then be distributed to plants in the complex. Boiler Number 6, one of the coal boilers, was mothballed in 1997, however in 2001 it was refurbished and restored to operation. In 2002, one of the secondary turbines was replaced by a newer unit. In the same year, an automation project involving the boilers, turbines and ancillary equipment was completed.
Operations
Coal is brought to the power station by railRail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
to the Wilton rail delivery terminal
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
and unloaded at the station using a merry-go-round system
Merry-go-round train
A Merry-go-round train, often abbreviated to MGR, is a block train of hopper wagons which both loads and unloads its cargo while moving. In the United Kingdom, they are most commonly coal trains delivering to power stations...
. The coal is provided by a small number of opencast
Opencast
Opencast is a term to describe audio and video content, primarily in an academic context. It combines the terms "Open" for Open Source and/or Open Access and "Broadcast"...
mines in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
.
Electricity is generated for the major plants on the Wilton complex at 11 kilovolts (kV) and distributed throughout the complex using one of the largest privately owned distribution systems in the world. This system is connected to the National Grid so that surplus electricity can be distributed using four National Grid owned transformers at 66 kV and 275 kV. On top of this, the station produces around 4,000,000 tonnes of steam per year for the plants on the complex.
In late 2003, plans to install a 40 MW 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....
at the station were finally fulfilled, after they were put off because of then owner Enron's bankruptcy. The gas turbine installation was completed in 2004, and it replaced an oil-fired
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
boiler at the station, resulting in reduced emissions from the station. However, the station has retained the flexibility to fire oil as a backup to coal and gas.
In October 2003, SembCorp applied to the Environment Agency
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
for permission to burn 110,000 tonnes of cow fat
Tallow
Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton fat, processed from suet. It is solid at room temperature. Unlike suet, tallow can be stored for extended periods without the need for refrigeration to prevent decomposition, provided it is kept in an airtight container to prevent oxidation.In industry,...
(tallow) from the carcasses of animals slaughtered during the BSE Crisis of 1996. The tallow bought was a large portion of the 200,000 tonne stockpile stored on farms in Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
and near London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The tallow was brought to the station by road tanker from Merseyside. At the power station it was stored in a tanker, awaiting burning. Following consultation and a 10,000 tonne trial burn between March and May 2004, permission for the burning of the tallow was granted in August 2004. Following a £55 million boiler overhaul in 2005, the station began co-firing biomass
Biomass
Biomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....
.
Wilton 10
SembCorp announced plans to build the UK's first wood-only burning power station in March 2005. The Wilton 10 Power Station (so called because it was the tenth boiler constructed at the Wilton Power Station) cost £30 million to construct and was built alongside the other Wilton Power Station units. It began generating electricity in September 2007, but was officially opened on 12 November 2007 by Energy Minister Malcolm WicksMalcolm Wicks
Malcolm Hunt Wicks is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Croydon North since 1997. He was MP for Croydon North West from 1992 to 1997.-Early life and education:...
. 400 people were employed in the station's construction and there are 15 permanent jobs at the station. The station burns 300,000 tonnes of a combination of sustainable wood
Sustainable forest management
Sustainable forest management is the management of forests according to the principles of sustainable development. Sustainable forest management uses very broad social, economic and environmental goals...
, sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
waste and otherwise unusable wood offcuts a year to produce 30 megawatts (MW) of electricity, as well as 10 MW of thermal energy in the form of steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
, which is piped for use in the rest of the Wilton complex. It operates separately from the fossil fuel power station. 80,000 tonnes of waste wood is supplied to the station each year from neighbouring company UK Wood Recycling.
Wilton 11
On 9 August 2010, Sembcorp announced they were teaming up with SITA UKSita (waste management)
SITA is the main brand representing Suez Environnement's waste subsidiaries in Europe, North America, the Asia Pacific zone and Australia....
to build a £200 million waste to energy plant alongside the current plants, known as Wilton 11. The plant would treat up to 400,000 tonnes of waste a year to generate 35 MW of electricity. The plant should be covered by previous planning permission for the Wilton site, and construction is expected to begin in 2012, following public consultation, in time for a 2015 completion date. Between 150 and 200 jobs would be created in construction, and around 50 permanent jobs created once the plant is completed. There is a possibility that the plant could be supplied with waste using the site's already existing rail link.