Peterhead power station

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Peterhead power station is an operating power station of at least 1180-megawatts (MW) in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Peterhead power station Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom 57.47721, -1.78888 (exact)[1]

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

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • 1, 2, 5: 57.47721, -1.78888

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology CHP Start year
1 Operating[2][3] fossil gas: natural gas[3] 1180[4][3] combined cycle[2] no 2000[5]
2 Mothballed[6] fossil gas: natural gas[7] 660[7] steam turbine[7] no 1980[6]
5 Pre-construction[8][9] fossil gas: natural gas[9] 900[9] combined cycle[9] no 2026 (planned)[9]

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
1 SSE Thermal Ltd [100%][10] SSE PLC [100.0%]
2 SSE Thermal Ltd [100%][10] SSE PLC [100.0%]
5 SSE Thermal Ltd; Equinor ASA[10][10] Equinor ASA; SSE PLC

Background

Peterhead originally consisted of two 660 MW conventional steam turbines (units 1 and 2) fired by fuel oil or natural gas. In 1998 work began to convert unit 1's steam turbine into a combined cycle unit with three new gas turbines and HRSG units. The combined-cycle unit was completed in 2000, and two separate gas turbines (units 3 and 4) originally built in 1992 were retired.[11][12]

Under the EU's Industrial Emissions Directive (still effective after the United Kingdom left the EU[13]), plants not meeting pollution limits would have to perform upgrades or opt-out and retire by 2023. Peterhead unit 2, already mothballed, opted out and would have to close in 2023.[14] Plans for its closure began as early as 2010[15], though, and SSE reliquished its unit 2 Transmission Entry Capacity (TEC) rights in 2010.[16] Unit 1 remained in operation, although in their 2013 annual report SSE wrote: "Peterhead technically has an installed capacity of 1,840MW. However, because of the impact of high transmission access charges in the north of Scotland, SSE took the decision in March 2010 to release TEC at Peterhead, effectively constraining the available generation capacity of the site to 1,180MW. Transmission access charges continue to be excessively expensive in the north of Scotland and, given the challenging market conditions for gas-fired generation, SSE has decided to reduce Peterhead’s TEC to 400MW from 31 March 2014."[17]

In 2021 the project applied for 1,180 MW existing generation in the T-4 Capacity Market 2024-2025 auction, and they were listed in the final results.[18][19] This would qualify them for government subsidies to guarantee electricity supply.[20]

In May 2021 SSE and Equinor announced a partnership for a new 900 MW combined cycle project including CCS.[21][22] According to SSE, the proposed project is set to begin operation "before 2030."[23][22]

Plans for the expansion have come under heavy criticism from environmental organizations raising concerns about additional emissions of GHGs and other pollutants.[24]

Articles and Resources

References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20210511104943/http://globalenergyobservatory.org/geoid/4765. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. 2.0 2.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20210413222609/https://ukccsrc.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/event/CCGT%20and%20application%20of%20CCS_GIVEN1.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2021. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20221108073105/https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/digest-of-uk-energy-statistics-dukes. Archived from the original on 08 November 2022. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |archive-date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20230108191432/https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electricity-chapter-5-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes. Archived from the original on 08 January 2023. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |archive-date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. https://web.archive.org/web/20221129084433/https://www.sse.com/whatwedo/ourprojectsandassets/thermal/Peterhead/. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. 6.0 6.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20220927012922/https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/features/featuregreat-flexibility-gained-by-peterhead-repowering/. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20221107230119/https://transparency.entsoe.eu/. Archived from the original on 07 November 2022. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |archive-date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. https://web.archive.org/web/20220331160627/https://www.equinor.com/en/where-we-are/united-kingdom/110521-peterhead-CCS.html. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 https://web.archive.org/web/20210920221422/https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/sse-equinor-plan-new-gas-power-plant-with-carbon-capture-in-scotland-2021-05-10. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20230101134202/https://www.ssethermal.com/flexible-generation/operational/peterhead/. Archived from the original on 01 January 2023. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |archive-date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. Peterhead Power Station, Engineering Timelines, accessed Apr 13, 2021
  12. https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/features/featuregreat-flexibility-gained-by-peterhead-repowering/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. Industrial emissions standards and best available techniques, UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Dec 31, 2020
  14. Energy Trends 2015-2016, United Kingdom, Sep 2015
  15. UPDATE 2-UK Peterhead power plant Unit 2 likely to close, Reuters, Mar 22, 2010
  16. Scottish and Southern Energy plc Annual Report 2010, SSE, 2010
  17. SSE plc Annual Report 2013, SSE, 2013
  18. T4 DY2024-25 Final Results, Electricity Market Reform Delivery Body, Mar 22, 2021
  19. Capacity Market Register 2024-25 (T-4) - 13_04_2021, Electricity Market Reform Delivery Body, Apr 13, 2021
  20. Capacity Market, United Kingdom, Mar 1, 2019
  21. "www.nasdaq.com/articles/sse-equinor-plan-new-gas-power-plant-with-carbon-capture-in-scotland-2021-05-10". Archived from the original on September 20, 2021.
  22. 22.0 22.1 "Peterhead Carbon Capture Power Station". www.ssethermal.com. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  23. "Development | SSE Thermal". www.ssethermal.com. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  24. Andrew Dykes (2023-03-31). "Peterhead Power Station expansion faces ire over increased emissions". Energy Voice. Retrieved 2023-04-05.

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of gas-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.