| West Burton power stations | |
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West Burton Power Station Viewed from the south in November 2006 |
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| Country | England |
| Location | Gainsborough |
| Coordinates | |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | 1968 |
| Operator(s) | Central Electricity Generating Board (1968-1990) National Power (1990-1996) Eastern Group (1996-1998) TXU Energy (1998-2001) London Power Company (2001-present) |
| Power station information | |
| Primary fuel | Coal |
| Secondary fuel | Gas (under construction) |
| Power generation information | |
| Installed capacity | 2,000 MW |
| Maximum capacity | 3,270 MW (2011 on) |
| grid reference SK791855 | |
The West Burton power stations are a pair of power stations on the River Trent near Gainsborough, in Nottinghamshire, England, located between Bole to the north and Sturton le Steeple to the south. One is a coal-fired power station, which was commissioned in 1968, and the second is a combined cycle gas turbine power station, due to be commissioned in 2011. Both stations are owned and operated by EDF Energy.
The site is the furthest north of series of power stations in the Trent valley, being 3.5 miles (5.6 km) downstream of the Cottam power stations. The Sheffield to Lincoln Line supplies the station with coal.
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It is built on the site of the deserted medieval village of West Burton.[1] The station was commissioned between 1967 and 1968.[2] It was originally operated by the CEGB and then run by National Power after privatisation, 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 £366 million. The station is now run by EDF Energy.[2]
In June 2000, work began on the fitting of flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) equipment at the station. FLS Miljo installed the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries wet limestone systems, while Arup Energy and Mowlem took up a design–build partnership to undertake the civil works and construction of infrastructure. The work was completed in October 2003, and had a total cost of £100 million.[2]
Separated over-fire air (SOFA) burners were installed on all four of the station's units in 2007 to meet European Union nitrogen oxide emission legislation. The burners were installed by GE Energy.[2]
The station also has a Discovery Centre to educate local school children. It has the oldest mound of FGD gypsum in the UK, part of an experiment set up by CEGB scientists in 1988.
The power station provides electricity for around two million people, and is situated on a 410-acre (1.7 km2) site. Coal for the power station, like Cottam, comes from the Welbeck colliery at Meden Vale. This will only be until 2009, when its coal is expected to run out. The station's other supplier, Thoresby colliery, is expected to last longer. The station connects to the National Grid, like most similar sized coal power stations, via a transformer and substation at 400 kV. The chimneys of West Burton Power Station are 200 metres (660 ft) tall.
The station generates electricity using four 500 megawatt English Electric turbo generators. These are provided with steam by International Combustion boilers, fueled by bituminous coal.[2]
A £600 million 1,270 MWe CCGT power station, which will run on natural gas, is currently being built next to the coal-fired station.[3] Construction by the Kier Group started in January 2008. It is being built on land originally allocated for a proposed 1,800 MW 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 12 mi (19 km) gas pipeline is being built to link to the National Gas Transmission System at Grayingham in Lincolnshire. Around 1,000 people are involved in the construction. The plant will consist of three 430 MW gas turbines each with a heat recovery steam generator.(design and supply an Italian company)
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