Wales Gas-fired Plant Back On Track

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--A new gas-fired power plant designed to back-up renewable energy has moved to the public consultation phase in Wales, U.K.

The proposed Abergelli plant in Swansea is an open-cycle rapid response power station with a proposed generating capacity of 299 megawatts (MW), which will be capable of powering 150,000 homes. This is the second time that the plant has reached this stage. The first time was in 2014, but the project was put on hold in 2015 due to poor market conditions.

The plant is designed to be brought online rapidly to provide backup power to the National Grid during periods of peak demand and to support the growing number of renewable and low-carbon energy sources. As a rapid response station, it will be limited to producing power for a maximum of 2,250 hours a year. The project, which will cost an estimated £100 million ($136 million) is being developed by Abergelli Power Limited, which is owned by Drax Group plc (LSE:DRX) (Selby, England).

"As a result of what was learned during the consultation undertaken in 2014 and other studies, we have made a number of changes to the original proposals," explained Andy Koss, Drax Power chief executive officer. "For example, the cable for the electrical connection has been put underground instead of having an overhead line; we have selected an access route from the B4489 to the west of the site, and reduced the number of stacks from five to one."

He added: "We are looking forward to sharing our latest plans at the public exhibitions next month and hearing what local people think about them before we finalise the scheme and submit a Development Consent Order application."

Subject to the gaining planning permission from the country's Planning Inspectorate, the plant could be commissioned in 2022, with an expected operational life of 25 years.

Drax, owner of the U.K.'s largest operational coal-fired plant, Drax Power Station in Selby, North Yorkshire, is currently in the process of converting many of the that plant's units. Last September Industrial Info reported that the company applied for permission to convert two units to gas. The company has already converted three of the six units to biomass but sees gas as the way forward for securing the plant's future. For additional information, see September 22, 2017, article - Drax Moves from Coal to Gas and Battery Storage.

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