Eggborough power station

Eggborough power station
File:Eggborough Power Station - geograph.org.uk - 349053.jpg Eggborough Power Station Viewed from the south in February 2007
Location of Eggborough power station in North Yorkshire
Country	England
Location	Knottingley
Coordinates
Status	Operational
Commission date	1967
Operator(s)	Central Electricity Generating Board (1966-1990) National Power (1990-2000) British Energy (2000-2010) Eggborough Power ltd (2010-present)
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Coal
Power generation
Nameplate capacity	1,960 MW
Website Official website
grid reference SE576242

Eggborough Power Station is a large coal-fired power station in North Yorkshire, England, capable of co-firing biomass. It is situated on the River Aire, between the towns of Knottingley and Snaith, deriving its name from the nearby village of Eggborough. The station has a generating capacity of 1,960 megawatts, enough electricity to power 2 million homes, equivalent to the area of Leeds and Sheffield.

Opened in 1966 to utilise nearby coal-reserves, the station was built for, and initially operated by, the Central Electricity Generating Board.

History

Eggborough Power Station was built between 1962 and 1970, and first began generating electricity in 1967. The station comprises four 500 megawatt (MW) coal-fired units, giving the station a total electrical output of 1,960 MW. Units 3 and 4 have been installed with Flue Gas Desulphurisation equipment, which reduces the units' emissions of Sulphur Dioxide by around 90%.

The station has a 200 m (660 ft) tall chimney.

In 2005 a retrofit turbine upgrade was carried out to increase the station's efficiency and flexibility by improving part-load and two-shift operation.

The station employs around 300 people, as well as contractors.

Ownership

The station was built for, and initially operated by, the Central Electricity Generating Board. The station became the property of National Power on privatisation of the industry in 1990.

British Energy bought Eggborough Power Station, as its only coal-fired power station, in 2000 to provide a more flexible power production facility alongside its nuclear power stations to reduce penalty charge risks from the New Electricity Trading Arrangements introduced in March 2001. The purchase of Eggborough occurred at the peak of the market for power stations, and in 2002 the value of the station was written down by half.

At the beginning of 2009, Électricité de France (EDF) purchased British Energy. In August 2009, it became apparent that the station's lenders, had the option to buy the station the following April, to comply with commitments made to the European Commission when agreeing the acquisition of British Energy. On 1 April 2010, EDF transferred Eggborough to the plant's bondholders.

In November 2014 it was announced, that power station will be acquired by Czech Republic-based Energetický a průmyslový holding. The acquisition was finalised January 2015.

In September 2015 the owners announced the plant was expected to stop producing electricity by the end of March 2016 however less than two months before the closure, in February 2016 it was announced that the plant would continue to operate for at least another twelve months through to March 2017.

See also

• Energy use and conservation in the United Kingdom
• Energy policy of the United Kingdom
• Aire valley power stations

External links

• Eggborough, British Energy