Awirs power station

From Global Energy Monitor

Awirs power station is a power station in Quai du Halage, Leige, Belgium with multiple units of varying statuses, none of which are currently operating. It is also known as Les Awirs, Centrale des Awirs.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Awirs power station Quai du Halage, Leige, Belgium 50.5851, 5.418 (exact)[1]

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • CC1, Unit 4, Unit 5: 50.5851, 5.418

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology CHP Start year Retired year
4, timepoint 2 Retired[2] bioenergy: wood & other biomass (solids)[2] 80[2] 1951[3] 2020[2]
CC1 Pre-construction[4][5][6][7] fossil gas: natural gas[8][4] 875[6][9] combined cycle[5] not found 2025 (planned)[10][11]
Unit 4, timepoint 1 Retired coal: unknown 125 subcritical 1967 2006
Unit 5 Retired coal: unknown 300 subcritical 1973 2013

CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner Parent
4, timepoint 2 ENGIE SA [100%] ENGIE SA [100.0%]
CC1 Electrabel NV/SA [100%][10] ENGIE SA [100.0%]
Unit 4, timepoint 1 ENGIE SA [100%] ENGIE SA [100.0%]
Unit 5 Electrabel NV/SA [100%] ENGIE SA [100.0%]

Unit-level fuel conversion details:

Unit 4: Unit had been converted from coal to bioenergy in 1951 and is now retired.

Background

The Awirs power station was built in 1951 by Electrabel as a coal-fired plant, with Units 4 and 5 added later.[12] Units 1, 2, and 3 were shut down in 1998. Unit 4 was converted to a 100% biomass-fueled plant in 2005.[13] Unit 5 was converted to run on natural gas and closed in 2013. The coal-fired plants were closed due to aging equipment, and because the company had reached the end of the period for receiving green certificates.[14]

The biomass plant that Unit 4 became was the largest in Wallonia and powered 160,000 homes in Belgium. The biomass plant was closed in September 2020, with decommissioning work to begin in April 2021 and to end in 2023. At the time of retirement, the plant had 40 employees which will be transferred to other Electrabel locations.[14] Engie, Electrabel's parent company, stated that they were interested in building a new gas-fired power station on the site in the future.[15]

In February 2021, it was reported that "Engie Electrabel will still go ahead" with the power plant in Les Awirs and that Engie aims "to secure all permits before the first Capacity Remuneration Mechanism round on 1 October 2021."[16]

As of December 9, 2021, the plant proposal had a procedure pending against it.[17] There have been strong protests against the proposal by Dégaze/Tegengas, a grassroots environmental organization, who initiated the appeal against the licensing of the plant.[18][19]

Articles and Resources

References

  1. https://www.google.com/maps/place/50%C2%B035'08.3%22N+5%C2%B025'00.7%22E/@50.585627,5.4168696,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xd5b501e71452589!8m2!3d50.585627!4d5.4168696. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20220923175606/https://www2.argusmedia.com/es/news/2138242-engie-closes-belgian-les-awirs-biomass-plant. Archived from the original on 23 September 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. https://web.archive.org/web/20220927144701/https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news/2138242-engie-closes-belgian-les-awirs-biomass-plant. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. 4.0 4.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240124172749/https://www.rtc.be/article/info/economie/le-recours-contre-le-permis-accorde-a-la-centrale-au-gaz-des-awirs-rejete_1510905_325.html. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. 5.0 5.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240124172642/https://www.enerdata.net/publications/daily-energy-news/basf-cancels-plan-build-850-mw-ccgt-project-engie-belgium.html. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. 6.0 6.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240124172749/https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-insights/latest-news/electric-power/040621-advanced-power-sells-920-mw-belgian-gas-plant-project-to-germanys-rwe. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. https://web.archive.org/web/20240517001302/https://gastopowerjournal.com/projectsafinance/item/14416-new-gas-power-project-in-belgium-on-track-for-start-up-in-late-2025. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. https://web.archive.org/web/20240124172744/https://www.enerdata.net/publications/daily-energy-news/engie-plans-add-3-gw-ccgt-plants-belgium-replace-its-nuclear-fleet.html. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. https://web.archive.org/web/20240124180056/https://www.montelnews.com/fr/news/1243055/la-wallonie-autorise-une-centrale-%C3%A0-gaz-900-mw-dengie. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. 10.0 10.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240124180020/https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-insights/latest-news/electric-power/040621-advanced-power-sells-920-mw-belgian-gas-plant-project-to-germanys-rwe. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. https://web.archive.org/web/20240124180147/https://www.montelnews.com/news/1243055/la-wallonie-autorise-une-centrale-%C3%A0-gaz-900-mw-dengie. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. "Awirs 4 and 5 thermal Power Plant Belgium - GEO". Global Energy Observatory. Retrieved 2021-05-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. Gratton, Georgia (2020-09-03). "Engie closes Belgian Les Awirs biomass plant". Argus. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  14. 14.0 14.1 "ENGIE's Les Awirs biomass plant closes". Bioenergy Insight. September 4, 2020. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  15. Renews Ltd (2020-08-28). "Engie to close Belgian biomass plant". reNEWS - Renewable Energy News. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  16. "BASF cancels plan to build a 850 MW CCGT project with Engie in Belgium | Enerdata". www.enerdata.net. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  17. NWS, VRT (2021-12-09). "Heeft Van der Straeten Engie Electrabel "omgekocht"? "Uitspraak van een bedenkelijk niveau", reageert minister". vrtnws.be (in Nederlands). Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  18. Belga (Jan 7th, 2022). "Recours au Conseil Detat Contre le Project de Centrale Gas Dans Les Awirs". La Meuse. Retrieved May 24th, 2022. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= and |date= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. "Dégaze". Dégaze. Retrieved May 24th, 2022. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)

Additional data

To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Bioenergy Power Tracker, the Global Coal Plant Tracker, and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.