Longannet power station
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Longannet power station is a power station in Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom with multiple units of varying statuses, none of which are currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Longannet power station | Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom | 56.049465, -3.682265 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- CCS Demonstration Project: 56.049465, -3.682265
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4: 56.048549, -3.682552
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCS Demonstration Project | cancelled | coal: bituminous | 2400 | subcritical | 2011 | – |
| Unit 1 | retired | coal: bituminous | 614 | subcritical | 1970 | 2016 |
| Unit 2 | retired | coal: bituminous | 614 | subcritical | 1970 | 2016 |
| Unit 3 | retired | coal: bituminous | 614 | subcritical | 1970 | 2016 |
| Unit 4 | retired | coal: bituminous | 614 | subcritical | 1970 | 2016 |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| CCS Demonstration Project | Iberdrola SA [100%] | Iberdrola SA [100.0%] |
| Unit 1 | ScottishPower Ltd [100%] | Iberdrola SA [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | ScottishPower Ltd [100%] | Iberdrola SA [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | ScottishPower Ltd [100%] | Iberdrola SA [100.0%] |
| Unit 4 | ScottishPower Ltd [100%] | Iberdrola SA [100.0%] |
Background
The 4 x 600 MW subcritical power station was commissioned in 1970.[1]
In March 2015 Scottish Power said it planned to close the Longannet Power Station by March 2016, after a gas-fired power station was granted a £15m electricity supply contract from the National Grid, rather than Longannet.[2] The coal-fired power station was retired as planned in March 2016.[3]
Estimated cost of air pollution from plant
A 2011 analysis by the European environment agency (EEA), 'Revealing the costs of air pollution from industrial facilities in Europe,' estimates that air pollution from industry costs Britain £3.4bn-£9.5bn a year in health and environmental damage. When CO2 costs are included, the figure rises to £9.5bn-£15.5bn. The industrial facilities covered by the analysis include large power plants, refineries, manufacturing combustion and industrial processes, waste and certain agricultural activities. Emissions from power plants contributed the largest share of the damage costs (estimated at €66–112 billion).
A small number of individual facilities cause the majority of damage costs. Three quarters of the total damage costs were caused by the emissions from just 622 industrial facilities – 6 % of the total number. Longannet Power Station, Cottam, Ratcliffe Power Station, and West Burton power stations together emit more than 30m tonnes of CO2 and other pollutants and cost the economy up to £2.3bn a year.[4]
Proposed replacement
Faced with an aging plant, Scottish Power proposed to build a new coal-fired power station.[5] In October 2011 the UK government announced "a decision has been made not to proceed with Longannet but to pursue other projects with the £1bn funding made available by the government."[6]
Demise of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project
A 330 MW carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) demonstration project at the Longannet Power Station was proposed in 2008 and cancelled in 2011.[7]
In October 2011, the Guardian reported that "construction of a £1bn prototype carbon capture and storage (CCS) project at Longannet in Scotland is on the verge of collapse." Scottish Power, and its partners Shell and the National Grid, said they had just completed a detailed study of the CCS scheme and have deep concerns about its commercial viability without heavier public backing. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) had promised £1bn of public money but the developers are understood to be arguing that they cannot proceed without more money to trial the scheme. Both sides insist "talks are ongoing" but the Guardian reported that well-placed industry and political sources say the process is "pretty much over" and a statement to that effect could be expected shortly.
A Decc spokesman said Longannet was only one CCS project and the government still planned to choose by the end of the year another three that could be eligible for European Union funding.[8]
In October 2011 the UK government announced "a decision has been made not to proceed with Longannet but to pursue other projects with the £1bn funding made available by the government."[9]
In November 2011, BBC reported that Scottish Power put the cost for the plant at £1.5bn. The UK government was considering funding the Peterhead Carbon Capture and Storage project.[10]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ Department of Energy and Climate Change, "Power stations in the United Kingdom, May 2012", Department of Energy and Climate Change, May 2012. (This link is to an Excel spreadsheet).
- ↑ "Longannet power station to shut next year," Guardian, March 23, 2015
- ↑ "Rapid decline of coal use leads to drop in UK emissions," Guardian, Mar 31, 2016
- ↑ "Industrial air pollution cost Europe up to €169 billion in 2009, EEA reveals" European environment agency, Nov 24, 2011.
- ↑ James Richens, "King coal promises to clean up", ENDS Report 396, January 2008, pp 26-29.
- ↑ Hanna Gersmann and Fiona Harvey, "Longannet carbon capture project cancelled: Last remaining project in government competition for CCS funding scrapped as partners fall out over funding", The Guardian, October 19, 2011.
- ↑ "Longannet Fact Sheet: Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage Project," Carbon Capture & Sequestration Technologies @ MIT, accessed October 2014
- ↑ Terry Macalister and Damian Carrington, "Flagship UK carbon capture project 'close to collapse'" The Guardian, Oct. 6, 2011.
- ↑ Hanna Gersmann and Fiona Harvey, "Longannet carbon capture project cancelled: Last remaining project in government competition for CCS funding scrapped as partners fall out over funding", The Guardian, October 19, 2011.
- ↑ "Carbon capture plan for Peterhead" BBC, Nov. 9, 2011.
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
