Edit filter log

'{{Infobox UK power station | static_image = [[Image:Longannet power station.jpg|250px]] | static_image_caption = Longannet Power Station<br><small>Viewed from the north in May 2007</small> | os_grid_reference = NS953852 |latitude=56.048942 |longitude=-3.682337 | country = Scotland | unitary_scotland =[[Fife]] | operator = [[South of Scotland Electricity Board]]<br>''(1973-1991)''<br>[[Scottish Power]]<br>''(1991-present)'' | fuel = Coal-fired | fuel_capacity = 2,400&nbsp;MW | secondary_fuel = Biofuel | tertiary_fuel = Sludge | opened = 1973 }} '''Longannet power station''' is a large [[Fossil fuel power plant|coal-fired power station]] in [[Fife]], [[Scotland]], capable of [[co-firing]] [[biomass]], [[natural gas]] and [[sludge]]. The station is situated on the north bank of the [[Firth of Forth]], near [[Kincardine on Forth]]. Its generating capacity of 2,400 [[megawatt]]s is the highest of any power station in Scotland. The station began generating electricity in 1970, and when in became fully operational, it was the largest coal-fired station in [[Europe]].<ref name=overview /> It is now the third largest, after [[Bełchatów Power Station|Bełchatów]] in [[Poland]] and [[Drax power station|Drax]] in [[England]]. The station was opened in 1973 and operated by the [[South of Scotland Electricity Board]], until 1991 when its operation was handed over to [[Scottish Power]] following privatisation. The station is a regional landmark, dominating the Forth skyline with its {{convert|183|m|abbr=on}} chimney stack. Like most other power stations in Scotland it lacks [[cooling tower]]s, relying instead on the river's water as a coolant. ==History== The station was designed by Scottish architects [[RMJM|Robert Matthew, Johnson Marshall & Partners]].<ref>{{cite web | title =Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall & Partners | url =http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=202068 | work =Dictionary of Scottish Architects | year =2008 | accessdate =25 August 2009 }}</ref> Construction began in the mid-1960s, {{convert|4|km|abbr=on}} downstream of the existing [[Kincardine power station]]. The station was constructed on land reclaimed from the Firth of Forth using ash from the Kincardine station. Longannet was in full operation by 1973.<ref name=best_practice>{{cite web | first =Roshan | last =Komall | title =Cleaner Coal Technology Programme | url =http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file17966.pdf | work =[[Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform]] | format =PDF | month =February | year =2000 | accessdate =25 August 2009 }}</ref> At the time of its completion, the station was the largest in Europe.<ref name=overview>{{cite web | title =Longannet Power Station | url =http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/features/featurefirst2015.html | work =[[Gazetteer for Scotland]] | accessdate =25 August 2009 }}</ref> ==Design and specification== Longannet has an installed capacity of 2,400 [[MWe#Megawatts_electrical_and_thermal|MWe]] (megawatts electrical) which is equivalent to 2 [[Advanced gas-cooled reactor]] nuclear stations. There are four 600 MWe generation units, each featuring a single [[boiler]] feeding two 300 MWe [[General Electric Company plc|GEC]] [[turbo-alternator]]s, with the steam spaces cross coupled. The declared net capacity is rated at 2,304 MW due to operational losses. On average Longannet produces 10.4 TW·h ([[watt hour|terawatt hour]]s) per year and in 2000-2001 achieved the highest generation output in its history by supplying more than 12.25 TW·h to the [[National Grid (UK)|National Grid]]. ==Operations== ===Electricity generation=== The station consumes up to 4,500,000 tonnes of [[coal]] each year. Coal is delivered either by road or [[rail transport|rail]] to the station's coal store, which has the capacity to hold up to 2,000,000 tonnes. Coal is fed from the coal store to the power station by a [[conveyor belt]] which is capable of carrying 3,500 tonnes of coal per hour. Coal is fed into bunkers inside the station's boiler house. These feed the station's [[pulveriser]]s which supply the boilers' burners with fuel. Each of the pulverisers are capable of pulverising 40 tonnes of coal an hour. There are eight pulverisers per each of the station's four [[Foster Wheeler]] boilers. These use low [[NOx]] burners made by [[ABB Group|ABB Combustion Ltd]]. Each boiler provides steam for two 300 [[megawatt]] [[General Electric Company]] [[turbo generator]]s.<ref name=best_practice /> ===Coal supply=== Coal was originally supplied directly by conveyor belt from the neighbouring [[Longannet coal mine|Longannet Colliery]]. This was the last deep mine in Scotland, and closed in 2002. The station is still supplied by Scotland's [[open cast mine]]s.<ref name=overview /> A lot ot the station's must now be imported, the majority via the former [[British Steel]] ore loading facility at [[Hunterston Terminal]] in [[Ayrshire]]. Onward transport is by rail and the level of traffic required to supply Longannet's fuel demand has caused extreme congestion on the Scottish rail network. An alternative route, the [[Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine rail link]], at the mouth of the river Forth was reopened in 2008.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}} why are you a wanker suck my cock ===Cooling system=== Water is taken for the station's [[Surface condenser|cooling condensers]] from the [[Firth of Forth]] at a rate of 327,000m³. The water is passed through coarse screens and then circulated by four electrically driven pumps. Once circulated through the station's condensers (which cool the turbines' exhaust heat), the water is discharged into a mile long cooling channel, where heat is dissipated with no harmful effect before reaching a wide part of the Forth.<ref name=best_practice /> ===Electrostatic precipitators and sulphur trioxide conditioning=== The station is fitted with [[electrostatic precipitator]]s (ESP) to reduce the stations particulate emissions. In the late 1980s the station's units were fitted with [[sulphur trioxide]] (SO₃) conditioning equipment to lower the fly ash's electrical resistivity. This was to ensure the station maintained allowable particulate emissions. Between 1989 and 1994 the station's ESPs were given a major refurbishment. This meant that the SO₃ conditioning equipment didn't need to be operated as frequently to maintain the allowed level of particulate emissions. This is beneficial as SO₃ is seen as a hazardous substance.<ref name=best_practice /> ===NOx reduction=== In 1994, the station was awarded funding from the [[European Commission]] under the THERMIE Demonstration Programme. With this money, Unit 2 at the station was retrofitted with Gas-reburn Technology. This is the largest scale application of this technology in the world. In this process, [[natural gas]] is injected into the boiler. This cuts [[NOx]] emissions from Unit 2 by 50%, as well as giving a reduction in CO₂ and SO₂ emissions. Also in 1996, all of the station's boilers were fitted with [[Low NOx burner]]s. This reduced the station's NOx emissions by 40%.<ref name=best_practice /> ==Environmental impact== In 2003, Longannet was named as Scotlands biggest polluter in a report by the [[Scottish Environment Protection Agency]] (SEPA). The station produces up to 4,350 [[tonne]]s of ash per day. This is piped to ash lagoons on the nearby Preston Island, where it is stored in former [[salt pan]]s. This is then landscaped and used to reclaim the land from the Firth of Forth.<ref name=overview /> To improve environmental emissions, Longannet is now fitted with 'Low-NOx' burners to limit the formation of [[NOx|oxides of nitrogen]] and a 'Gas Reburn system' that uses [[natural gas]] to convert NOx into [[nitrogen]] and [[water vapour]]. Longannet also burns up to 65,000 tonnes of treated and dried [[sewage sludge]] per year, which has a similar [[calorific value]] to low-quality [[brown coal]]. In 2005, a judge ruled the burning of sludge as illegal, but the SEPA continues to allow [[Scottish Power]] to burn the sludge illegally as part of an agreement which requires Scottish Power to construct, and have in operation,and the oner is a fat gay lord, a [[biomass]] plant in 2010.<ref>http://www.scottishgreens.org.uk/site/id/4956/title/Scottish_Power_And_SEPA_Join_Forces_To_Break_The_Law.html</ref> The UK's first ever [[carbon capture and storage]] (CCS) unit was commissioned at the station in 2009.<ref name=overview /> ==Ownership== This facility is owned and operated by [[Scottish Power]], as a subsidiary of the [[Spain|Spanish]] Electricity Company, [[Iberdrola]]. ==Future== The station is expected to continue operating until approximately 2020-2025, because of the technical advancements in place at the station. These include the station's low NOx burners, its NOx reburn system and a refurbishment of the station's [[electrostatic precipitator]]s.<ref name=best_practice /> the owner of it is fat and gay ==References== {{reflist}} {{commonscat|Longannet Power Station}} {{start box}} {{succession box | before=[[Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station]] | title=Largest Power Station in the UK | years=1972-1986 | after= [[Drax Power Station]]}} {{end box}} {{Scottish energy}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Longannet Power Station}} [[Category:Buildings and structures in Fife]]'