West Burton Power Station

Infobox UK power station
static_

static_image_caption=West Burton power station
os_grid_reference=SK791855
latitude=53.365
longitude=-0.8194
country=England
region=East Midlands
shire_county=Nottinghamshire
operator= EDF Energy
fuel= Coal-fired
fuel_capacity=2,000 MW
secondary_fuel=Gas
secondary_fuel_capacity=1,270 MWe
opened=1968
closed=

West Burton Power Station is a coal-fired power station in Bassetlaw, north Nottinghamshire. It is the furthest north of series of Trent valley power stations, being within two miles of Gainsborough in Lincolnshire and thirty-nine miles from Nottingham. It is between Bole to the north and Sturton le Steeple to the south. Access is via the A620 near Bole. The Sheffield to Lincoln Line passes close to one set of its eight cooling towers.

History

It is built on the site of the deserted medieval village of West Burton. The station is run by EDF Energy. It was run by Powergen until April 1996, when it was bought by the Eastern Group which became TXU Europe. In November 2001 when the price of electricity was low and TXU Europe had severe financial problems, it was bought by the London Power Company for £366m. In October 2003, a £100M flue gas desulphurisation project opened, after three years of construction by Arup Energy and Mowlem. New SOFA (separated over-fire air) burners were installed in 2007 to meet EU emissions NOx legislation.

It has a "Discovery Centre" to educate local school children.

pecification

The [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/78993 power station] provides electricity for around two million people, and is situated on a 410 acre site. Coal for the power station, like Cottam, comes from the Welbeck colliery at Meden Vale until 2009 when its coal runs out, and Thoresby colliery for longer. The station connects to the National Grid, like most similar sized coal power stations via a transformer and substation at 400kV.

Combined cycle gas turbine power station

A £600m 1,270MWe CCGT power station that runs on natural gas is being built next to the coal [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/450971 power station] , with construction started in January 2008 by the Kier Group. It is being built on land originally allocated for a proposed 1,800MW West Burton 'B' coal power station that was to have been built in the 1980s. Privatisation of the electricity industry in 1990 cancelled this scheme. It will be finished in 2011, and will supply electricity to around 1.5 million homes. A new twelve mile gas pipeline is being built to the National Transmission System at Grayingham in Lincolnshire. Around 1,000 people are involved in the construction. The plant will consist of three 270MWe gas turbines each with a heat recovery steam generator.

External links

* [http://www.edfenergy.com/about-us/energy-generation/power-generation/coal.shtml EDF Energy]
* [http://www.industcards.com/st-coal-uk-eng-mid.htm Other coal-fired power stations in the Midlands]
* [http://www.ge-energy.com/about/press/en/2004_press/071604.htm SOFA system on burners in 2004]
* [http://www.arup.com/energy/project.cfm?pageid=3029 Flue Gas Desulphurisation]
* [http://www.msj.co.uk/projects_project_westburton.php FGD retrofit]
* [http://www.edfenergy.com/about-us/energy-generation/power-generation/west-burton-combined-cycle-gas-turbine.shtml New CCGT power station]
* [http://www.webbaviation.co.uk/industrial/west-burton-aerial.htm Aerial photograph]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/7076589.stm CCGT power station approved in November 2007]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2708759.stm Weak chimney in 2003]