Peterhead power station
Encyclopedia
Peterhead power station is a multi unit station owned and operated by Scottish and Southern Energy near Boddam
and the A90
, just south of Peterhead
, in Aberdeenshire
in the north east of Scotland
.
consisting of two 676MWe generating units. Construction began in May 1973, with one unit opening in 1980, and the other in 1982. The original owner was the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board. The proximity of the station to St Fergus gas terminal meant, however, that the boilers were converted to burn gas as well as oil. When it opened, it burnt waste gas from the Brent oilfield
, prior to this gas being refined at the Mossmorran
refinery near Cowdenbeath
, and the price of oil was uneconomic to use. By 1984, the price of oil made it economic to burn.
) entered into a contract with BP
to burn sour gas
from the Miller Field. In order to satisfy the terms of this contract two further units were built (two 120MW Open Cycle gas turbine) with a primary function to burn Miller gas when the two main units were unavailable.
These Gas Turbine have now been decommissioned and the plant sold to a firm in the Africa where they will be used in a de-salination plant.
s were utilised in an innovative manner to provide steam to one of the original steam turbines. These changes allowed for 1150MWe of output to be delivered at 57% thermal efficiency
compared with the original plants 37%.
The installed capacity of Peterhead increased to 2407MWe in November 2007 following a compressor and combustion control upgrade on GT11, 12 and 13 making it the largest power station in Scotland ahead of Longannet
. The transmission system at Peterhead however, limits production to 1550MWe.
In May 2009 GT3 and GT4 were decommissioned. The installed capacity of Peterhead is now reduced to 2177MW.
. If viable, it would be the first large scale hydrogen power plant. However on May 23, 2007, BP pulled the plug on the carbon capture idea after losing patience waiting for government approval, with concern over the long term storage capacity of the Miller Field.
gas turbines provide a CCGT
-type system of power generation, with three Doosan Babcock
heat recovery steam generators providing steam to one (older) steam turbine
.
Boddam, Aberdeenshire
Boddam is a coastal village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is north of Aberdeen and south of Peterhead. Sea cliffs rise to , south of the village: a coastal path leads along these to the Bullers of Buchan....
and the A90
A90 road
The A90 road is a major north to south road in eastern Scotland, running from Edinburgh to Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire.From Edinburgh, it travels west and over the Forth Road Bridge, before turning into the M90 motorway. At Perth, the M90 again becomes the A90, now running north east to Dundee...
, just south of Peterhead
Peterhead
Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement , with a population of 17,947 at the 2001 Census and estimated to have fallen to 17,330 by 2006....
, in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
in the north east of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Oil fired power station
The station was originally planned as a 1320MWe oil fired power stationFossil fuel power plant
A fossil-fuel power station is a power station that burns fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas or petroleum to produce electricity. Central station fossil-fuel power plants are designed on a large scale for continuous operation...
consisting of two 676MWe generating units. Construction began in May 1973, with one unit opening in 1980, and the other in 1982. The original owner was the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board. The proximity of the station to St Fergus gas terminal meant, however, that the boilers were converted to burn gas as well as oil. When it opened, it burnt waste gas from the Brent oilfield
Brent oilfield
The Brent field is an oil field located in the East Shetland Basin north-east of Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland at the water depth of . The field operated by Shell UK Limited was once one of the most productive parts of the UK's offshore assets but is now nearing the end of its useful...
, prior to this gas being refined at the Mossmorran
Mossmorran
The Mossmorran NGL fractionation plant is part of the North Sea Brent oil and gas field system located on the outskirts of Cowdenbeath, Fife....
refinery near Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is 5 miles north-east of Dunfermline and 18 miles north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a Police Burgh in 1890...
, and the price of oil was uneconomic to use. By 1984, the price of oil made it economic to burn.
Gas turbines
In the early 1990s the owners (Scottish Hydro ElectricScottish Hydro Electric
Scottish Hydro plc was a Public Electricity Supplier formed on 1 August 1989 after a change of name from North of Scotland Electricity plc on that date...
) entered into a contract with BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
to burn sour gas
Sour gas
Sour gas is natural gas or any other gas containing significant amounts of hydrogen sulfide . Natural gas is usually considered sour if there are more than 5.7 milligrams of H2S per cubic meter of natural gas, which is equivalent to approximately 4 ppm by volume...
from the Miller Field. In order to satisfy the terms of this contract two further units were built (two 120MW Open Cycle gas turbine) with a primary function to burn Miller gas when the two main units were unavailable.
These Gas Turbine have now been decommissioned and the plant sold to a firm in the Africa where they will be used in a de-salination plant.
Combined cycle gas turbines
In 2000 the station completed a major repowering project to increase the efficiency and capacity of the station. Three gas turbineGas 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....
s were utilised in an innovative manner to provide steam to one of the original steam turbines. These changes allowed for 1150MWe of output to be delivered at 57% thermal efficiency
Thermal efficiency
In thermodynamics, the thermal efficiency is a dimensionless performance measure of a device that uses thermal energy, such as an internal combustion engine, a boiler, a furnace, or a refrigerator for example.-Overview:...
compared with the original plants 37%.
The installed capacity of Peterhead increased to 2407MWe in November 2007 following a compressor and combustion control upgrade on GT11, 12 and 13 making it the largest power station in Scotland ahead of Longannet
Longannet power station
Longannet power station is a large coal-fired power station in Fife capable of co-firing biomass, natural gas and sludge. The station is situated on the north bank of the Firth of Forth, near Kincardine on Forth. Its generating capacity of 2,400 megawatts is the highest of any power station in...
. The transmission system at Peterhead however, limits production to 1550MWe.
In May 2009 GT3 and GT4 were decommissioned. The installed capacity of Peterhead is now reduced to 2177MW.
Hydrogen power plant
In 2006 there were plans to produce 350MWe of power from Hydrogen, produced from the methane, with the resulting carbon dioxide being pumped into the Miller Field by BP using carbon captureCarbon capture and storage
Carbon capture and storage , alternatively referred to as carbon capture and sequestration, is a technology to prevent large quantities of from being released into the atmosphere from the use of fossil fuel in power generation and other industries. It is often regarded as a means of mitigating...
. If viable, it would be the first large scale hydrogen power plant. However on May 23, 2007, BP pulled the plug on the carbon capture idea after losing patience waiting for government approval, with concern over the long term storage capacity of the Miller Field.
Specification
The three 277MWe V94.3A (now called SGT5-4000F) SiemensSiemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
gas turbines provide a CCGT
Combined cycle
In electric power generation a combined cycle is an assembly of heat engines that work in tandem off the same source of heat, converting it into mechanical energy, which in turn usually drives electrical generators...
-type system of power generation, with three Doosan Babcock
Doosan Babcock
Doosan Babcock, is part of Doosan Power Systems Ltd a UK-based subsidiary of Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction. DPS is a power sector utility boiler OEM and after market services company, offering specialist services and technologies to clients in the nuclear power generation, fossil-fired...
heat recovery steam generators providing steam to one (older) steam turbine
Steam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
.
External links
- Gazetteer for Scotland
- Cancelled Peterhead Hydrogen Power Project
- Other steam-electric plants in the UK