ScottishPower to Build Cockenzie Gas-Fired Plant

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) -- After four years of battling, ScottishPower (Glasgow, Scotland) has secured the green light to build a 1,000-megawatt (MW) combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant on the site of its existing coal-fired plant at Cockenzie in East Lothian, Scotland.

The project, which was voted down in 2010 by East Lothian Council, has now been cleared by the Scottish government. The existing 1,200-MW Cockenzie Power Station, which uses four ageing coal-fired generating units, will be replaced by two high-efficiency CCGT units. The 40-year coal-fired plant is already ranked as one of Europe's worst polluters, with a 2009 report for the European Commission citing Cockenzie as having the highest nitrogen-oxide (NOx) emissions in Europe. Cockenzie is due to be mothballed in 2015 but the new CCGT plant will extend the life of the facility until 2050.

"We are pleased to have received consent from the Scottish Government for a new 1,000-MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power station on the site of our existing Cockenzie coal power plant, in East Lothian," said Keith Anderson, chief corporate officer at ScottishPower.

"This is a major achievement and an important milestone for the project. The current coal power station is reaching the end of its operational life and has to close by the end of 2015. In the meantime our plans for the gas station will see further development work carried out in the coming months. This will fully establish our plans for the site and determine the design and future timetable for the project."

ScottishPower also owns the 2,400-MW Longannet coal-fired plant, and the company has plans to invest around €3.4 billion ($4.6 billion) to revamp both plants. Together, the plants supply roughly a quarter of Scotland's electricity needs.

Scotland's government has revealed some of the most ambitious renewable energy targets in Europe so the granting of permission for a new gas-fired plant has come under fire from many environmental groups. Defending the decision, Energy Minister, Fergus Ewing MSP, claimed that even with renewables, conventional power will be needed to keep supply steady.

"Alongside the vast increase in renewable energy that we are working towards, Scotland will still need conventional, clean fossil fuel power to provide a steady supply of electricity. This could be met by new build plant, upgrades to existing plants or a combination of both.

"Cockenzie power station is now over 40 years old," he explained. "The new gas station will provide a far cleaner source of baseload electricity, with less than half the amount of carbon emissions, creating new jobs in East Lothian and new opportunities for existing Cockenzie staff in the process."

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