Opened in 1993, the station was originally operated by Finnish company Fortum. It is now operated by Centrica. There are currently plans to build a straw fuelled renewable energy plant alongside the station.
History
Construction of the power station started in late 1991. It was opened in December 1993. It was built just south of a former British Sugarsugar beet factory, which is the planned location of Brigg Renewable Energy Plant,[1] by European Gas Turbines (EGT), which was a division of GEC Alsthom. GEC Alsthom won the £90m contract in March 1991. Initially, it was owned by Yorkshire Electricity, but operated by a Finnish company, Fortum, under the name Regional Power Generators Ltd.[2]
RPG was a joint venture between Yorkshire Electricity and Newcastle upon Tyne-based Berisford Bristar. YE took 75% control in January 1991, with Total Gas Marketing owning the rest. The gas was supplied by British Gas. In 2000 it was bought by Fortum. In June 2002 the plant was bought by Centrica for £37million.[3] The operating company is known as Centrica Brigg Ltd.
It can run at a maximum thermal efficiency of 46.8% when on constant running; the actual efficiency depends on factors in the local weather conditions such as temperature and humidity. It is used to fulfill peak load requirements from the National Grid, as the electricity output can be decreased when demand is less. Each gas turbine and both steam turbines are connected to a 40MW electrical generator (alternator).
The station's four flue gas stacks are 70m (230ft) high. The gas turbines are a General Electric Frame 6 MS6001B type, producing 39.16MW at 31.6% thermal efficiency.[4] They rotate at 5,135revolutions per minute (rpm), and are connected via a gearbox to the electrical generator revolving at 3,000rpm. Exhaust gas reaches the steam generator at 541°C. The gas turbine electrical generators are rated at 50.2MVA, with a terminal voltage of 11kilovolts (kV). The electricity enters the National Grid via a transformer at 132kV.
The station falls within the supply area formerly ran by Yorkshire Electricity, with distribution currently run by Northern Powergrid. The site employs thirty six people.