Uskmouth power stations

Coordinates: 51°32′57″N 2°58′14″W / 51.549071°N 2.970539°W / 51.549071; -2.970539
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Uskmouth power stations
Scottish and Southern Energy
(2009–2015)
  • SIMEC Group
    (2015–present)
    • Thermal power station
    Primary fuelCoal
    Tertiary fuelBiomass
    ChimneysA station: 2
    B station: 1
    Cooling towersNone
    Cooling sourceSea water
    Power generation
    Units operationalA station: 4 × 60 MW
    B station: 3 × 110 MW
    Nameplate capacityA station: 228 MW
    B station: 363 MW
    External links
    Websitewww.sse.com/SSEInternet/index.aspx?rightColHeader=22&id=21202
    CommonsRelated media on Commons
    [edit on Wikidata]

    The Uskmouth power stations (also known as the Fifoots Point power stations) refers to a series of two

    coal-fired power stations at the mouth of the River Usk in the south-east of Newport, Wales
    . The first of the two station, Uskmouth A power station, was built in the 1940s and demolished in 2002.

    The second station, Uskmouth B power station, was built in the 1950s and as of 2023 has been decommissioned and mothballed.[1][2]

    Uskmouth A

    Uskmouth A power station was authorised in 1947, and building started in April 1948. The first generating set was commissioned in December 1952, followed by other sets in September 1953, March 1954, September 1954, June 1956 and finally December 1956 for a set scrapped in January 1956.[3][4] It comprised four Fraser and Chalmers / GEC 60 MW hydrogen cooled 11.8 kV turbo-alternators, these were supplied with steam at 62.1 bar and 482 °C.[5] The 12 Babcock and Wilcox pulverised fuel boilers were capable of delivering 320.0 kg/s of steam.

    The generating capacity and output of the station was as follows.[6][4][5][7]

    Uskmouth A generating capacity and output
    Year Capacity MW Electricity supplied GWh
    1954 168 618.239
    1955 228 1276.305
    1956 228 1409.361
    1957 342 1575.815
    1958 342 2149.267
    1961 360 1489.1
    1962 360 1241.6
    1963 360 1257.1
    1967 360 1138.711
    1971 360 887.514
    1979 240 148.250
    1981 228 19.802

    On the 18th of January 1956, the No. 5 60-MW generator, a conventional steam turbine with a low pressure rotor driving a hydrogen cooled generator, suffered a catastrophic overspeed event. In the resulting explosion, two workers were killed and nine injured, and the turbine and generator were completely destroyed. Wreckage from the blast was propelled through the walls of the building and thrown as far as several hundred yards. Remarkably, the remaining four generator sets, which operating under full loads, experienced no interruption in operation.[8]

    The A station was closed on 26 October 1981 with a generating capacity of 228

    megawatts.[9] The station was demolished in 2002[10]

    Uskmouth B

    Uskmouth B power station (or Uskmouth Power as it is now known) was authorised in May 1957 and built in 1959.

    National Grid, as there are very few power stations situated in the south of Wales.[13] The annual electricity output of Uskmouth B was:[14][7]

    Electricity output of Uskmouth B
    Year 1960–1 1961–2 1962–3 1963–4 1964–5 1965–6 1966–7 1971–2 1978–9 1980–1 1981–2
    Electricity supplied, GWh 9.766 1006.7 1527.2 1,665 1,890 1,649 1,666 1,715 960.2 979.6 1,081

    Initially operated by the

    Scottish and Southern Energy plc) in 2009 for £27m.[17] In April 2013 one of the three remaining blocks was closed, so the power station has now a remaining generation capacity of 260 MW.[18]

    Newport Wetlands Reserve

    The station was one of the cleanest coal-fired power stations in the

    carbon neutral.[13] The station does not take water from or dump waste water into the River Usk. It instead uses secondary treated sewage water in its cooling system.[22]

    The station employed 90 people.

    Newport Gwent Dragons.[13]

    The station was earmarked for closure in 2014 and subsequently mothballed.[23] However, in 2015, plans were announced to instead convert the station to run fully on pellets of biomass and waste plastic, as part of a scheme to regenerate the area and create hundreds of jobs.[24] These plans then took priority and as a result, Uskmouth saw very infrequent use as a coal plant; with April 2017 being the last occasion.[25][26]

    In 2017, Simec Atlantis Energy joined a partnership to undertake this transformation by 2020.[27] In 2019, it was reported that the plant would be running on 50% pellets of plastic and 50% pellets of cardboard and paper by 2021 and was expected to operate for 20 years.[28] However, in April 2022, Simec Atlantis Energy announced it was abandoning the waste-to-energy conversion project,[29][1] following opposition from environmental groups[2] and the call in of the conversion application by the Welsh Government.[30]

    In December 2023, the site's operator Simec Uskmouth Power Ltd obtained planning consent to demolish the station's two banks of cooling towers, with the demolition expected to be completed by May 2024.[31]

    Severn Power Station

    An 832

    steam turbines, each operating on a single shaft, and entered commercial operations in November 2010. It was initially reported that it would cost £400 million to build and create 650 construction jobs.[10]

    Originally owned and operated by the Danish company DONG Energy (now Ørsted), the station was acquired in December 2013 by MPF Holdings, which later changed its name to Calon Energy.[32] The station was put into a 'dormant state' in August 2020 following Calon Energy entering administration.[33]

    Uses in culture

    In 2006, the station was used as a location for two episodes of

    Cybermen Factory.[34] It was then used again for the 2011 Christmas special "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe" as spaceship corridors, filmed on 20 September 2011.[35] In 2014, the station was once again used for two episodes, respectively "Into the Dalek"[36] and "Time Heist".[37]

    References

    1. ^ a b "Uskmouth Conversion Project". Uskmouth Sustainable Energy Park. Simec Atlantis Energy. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
    2. ^ a b Hughes, Marcus (23 February 2021). "Climate activists claim Uskmouth power station plan will emit 1,550,000 tonnes of carbon every year". WalesOnline. Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
    3. ^ a b "The history of power generation at Uskmouth". Welsh Power. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
    4. ^ a b Garrett, Frederick C., ed. (1959). Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-103, A-137.
    5. ^ a b CEGB Statistical Yearbook, 1981, CEGB, London.
    6. ^ CEGB (1972). CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1972. London: CEGB. p. 11.
    7. ^ a b CEGB, Annual report and accounts, 1961, 1962 & 1963
    8. doi:10.1243/PIME_PROC_1958_172_050_02
      . Retrieved 7 September 2023.
    9. ^ Mr. Redmond (16 January 1984). "Coal-fired Power Stations". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 1 September 2009.
    10. ^ a b "£400m power station bid approved" (STM). BBC News. 21 August 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
    11. ^
      Wales Online
      . Western Mail. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
    12. ^ a b "SALE OF POWER STATION BY THE RUTLAND FUND" (PDF). Lexicon Partners. 25 April 2006. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
    13. ^ a b c d e "Welcome to Uskmouth Power". Welsh Power. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
    14. ^ a b CEGB (1966). CEGB Statistical Yearbooks 1964, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1982. London: CEGB. pp. 26, 26, 20.
    15. ^ "Generation disconnections since 1991". National Grid. 2003. Archived from the original on 8 May 2003. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
    16. ^ a b "Rotork actuators in power station refurbishment". Engineering Talk. 18 October 2000. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
    17. Scottish and Southern Energy
      . Retrieved 26 September 2010.
    18. Scottish and Southern Energy
      . Retrieved 6 May 2015.
    19. ^ "Steelmaker's efforts to improve environmental impact sees CO2 levels halved since the 1970s". Wales Online. 8 December 2007. Retrieved 21 November 2008.
    20. ^ "Veolia Water Industrial Outsourcing has signed a 10-year outsourcing contract with Uskmouth Power". Veolia Water. Retrieved 20 November 2008.
    21. ^ "Clean Coal Technology". UK Parliament Publications and Records. Retrieved 21 November 2008.
    22. ^ "Water". Welsh Power. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
    23. ^ "Coal-fired power station at Uskmouth to shut". BBC News. 9 May 2014.
    24. Wales Online. Media Wales
      .
    25. ^ Evans, Simon (10 February 2016). "Countdown to 2025: Tracking the UK coal phase out". Carbon Brief.
    26. ^ Rose, Alice (3 February 2018). "Uskmouth Power Station conversion will lead to hundreds of new jobs". South Wales Argus.
    27. ^ "SIMEC Atlantis Energy surges following Uskmouth power project update". Proactive Investors. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
    28. ^ "Power move: the coal-fired plant to be fuelled by plastic waste". Positive News. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
    29. ^ "Uskmouth conversion to burn waste abandoned; battery planned for site". newpower.info. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
    30. ^ Gill, Emily (9 February 2021). "Why Newport Council has been 'barred' from Uskmouth Power Station decision". WalesOnline. Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
    31. ^ "Demolition of cooling towers at Uskmouth Power Station can go ahead". South Wales Argus. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
    32. ^ "Welcome to Severn Power Station". Calon Energy. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
    33. ^ "Calon Energy's administrators put two power plants in 'dormant state'". BBC News. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
    34. ^ "Uskmouth Power Station". Doctor Who - The Locations Guide. Chuck Foster, News In Time Space Ltd. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
    35. ^ "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe - The Fourth Dimension". BBC. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
    36. ^ "Into the Dalek: Fact File". Doctor Who. BBC One. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
    37. ^ "Time Heist: The Fact File". Doctor Who. BBC One. Retrieved 21 September 2014.

    External links

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Uskmouth Power Station.

    Power Station Turbine Overspeed failure 1958

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