Aberthaw Power Station

Infobox UK power station
os_grid_reference=ST023663
latitude=51.387312
longitude=-3.404866
country=Wales
lieutenancy_wales=South Glamorgan
unitary_wales=Vale of Glamorgan
operator=RWE npower
fuel=Coal-fired
secondary_fuel=Biofuel
opened=1966

Aberthaw Power Station is a power station on the coast of South Wales west of Cardiff near Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan. Although it shares its name with the village of Aberthaw it is actually located on the waterfront of nearby village of Gileston. Its capacity (May 2007) was 1455 MW.

History

Originally a golf course 100 years before [ [http://www.barrywales.co.uk/showimage.asp?ID=183 View Image : Barry, Wales ] ] , it opened in February 1966 and is one of three of NPower's coal fired power stations. [ [http://www.railfuture.org.uk/tiki-download_file.php?fileId=39] ]

Taking its entire coal feed stock in by rail under contract to EWS from the Vale of Glamorgan Line, until the collieries closure it was in part powered by coal from the Tower Colliery. In response to the government's renewable energy obligation that came into effect in April 2002, the plant is currently firing a range of biomass materials to replace some of the coal burned.Coal is still being taken to the site by rail, the coal originating at Cwmbargoed opencast mine in Merthyr Tydfyl, Tower colliery in Hirwaun(Most coal is now taken to tower for blending and then taken by rail, the site could open up as a opencast) and othe opencasts and mines.

Flue gas desulfurization

Aberthaw was due for closure, but owner nPower agreed to install new technology to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions by 90% by 2008 [ [http://www.mpga.co.uk/industrail_civil2.htm Aberthaw Power Station ] ] . Construction started on 21 June 2006 with a tree-planting ceremony attended by The Welsh Minister for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks, Andrew Davies. The Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) project is being carried out by a consortium of ALSTOM and AMEC, which will employ at peak 500 workers on site at the peak of construction. RWE npower made the decision to fit FGD technology in June 2005, to enable the station to operate under new European environmental regulations from 2008 [ [http://www.npowermediacentre.co.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=721&NewsAreaID=2 npower media centre ] ] .

Nuclear proposal

It has also recently been proposed that the plant could be replaced by a power station using nuclear power [ [http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0750expats/newsletter/page.cfm?objectid=16753509&method=full&siteid=50082 Aberthaw 'earmarked as nuclear station site' - icWales ] ] .

Gallery

ee also

*
*Aberthaw Cement Works
*Aberthaw
*Aberthaw lime works
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Npower_(UK) npower UK]

References

External links

* [http://www.rwe.com/generator.aspx/rwe-npower/group-structure/language=en/id=243628/rwe-npower-generation-and-renewables-aberthaw.html Abethaw Power Station]
* [http://www.gtj.org.uk/en/item1/6521 1995 picture of Aberthaw Power Station]
* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=2754524 www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Aberthaw Power Station and surrounding area]