Scottish Power to Repower Two Coal-Fired Stations

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas). Scottish Power plc (Glasgow, United Kingdom), a subsidiary of Iberdrola SA (Bilbao, Spain), recently announced that studies have been initiated to convert its largest two power stations to clean coal technology. The project involves replacing existing boilers and steam turbine generators at both the 2,400-megawatt Longannet and 1,200-megawatt Cockenzie Power Stations. This will represent the largest project of its type in Europe and will represent a total investment of over $4 billion. The two plants supply a quarter of Scotland’s electricity need.

Longannet Power Station started commercial operation in 1973 with a total generating capacity of 2,400-megawatts. The plant is home to four units each with a Foster Wheeler boiler and two 300-Megawatt GEC steam turbine/generators. Scottish Power is underway on projects to install flue gas desulfurization units that will reduce SO2 emissions by 90%, as well as NOx reduction technology to reduce emissions by 30%. The Cockenzie Station is a 1,200-megawatt station with four boilers and steam turbine generators.

The repowering projects will replace the existing boilers at each station with supercritical pulverized coal-fired boilers. As part of the project the existing steam turbine generators will also be replaced. By incorporating supercritical technology the temperature and pressure of the steam in the turbines will be increased. This in turn will improve cycle efficiency from 36% to possibly 47%. Not only is efficiency improved through this technology, but the environmental impact is also lessened. Carbon Dioxide emissions are expected to be reduced at the plants by 20-percent. Studies are being performed to develop a method of injecting CO2, SO2 & NOx into underground coal seams. Injecting these emissions into these seams would not only store them safely underground but would also be used to recover coal bed methane that could be burned in the boilers as a supplemental fuel.

Once the projects are approved construction could begin in 2009, in order to become operational during 2013. Scottish Power has selected Alstom UK Ltd (Rugby, United Kingdom) & Doosan Babcock Energy Ltd (Renfrew, United Kingdom) to design, engineer and construct the new facilities.

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