Work is set to start later this month on the construction of a new fast response gas plant next to the existing Brigg power station in North Lincolnshire.
The investment into the 50MW plant was confirmed in December last year as part of a £180m investment programme into new flexible power plants across the country.
Comprising of five reciprocating gas engines, the plant has been designed to respond to peaks in demand and will be capable of producing enough power to meet the needs of around 50,000 households – more than all the homes in the district of West Lindsey.
Brigg Generation Manager Ian Griffiths said: “The site here at Brigg has been going through a real transformation over the past year. The team has been working hard on the demolition of redundant equipment, including the four chimneys and the old fuel oil tanks where the new plant will be built so it’s great to now be ready for a new chapter for the site as construction begins.”
A team of up to 95 people will be on site during construction, which is expected to take around 15 months. The plant will be operational in winter 2018.
Once complete, the new plant will operate as a highly flexible ‘peaking plant’ that will be able to go from a cold standstill up to full power in under two minutes – a feature that is becoming increasingly important as more intermittent renewable capacity such as wind and solar comes on line.
To find out more and keep up to date on construction, go to www.centrica.com/brigg.