Converting coal plant to gas will halve emissions

Scottish ministers have approved plans to replace a coal-fired power station with a more efficient and environmentally friendly gas-fired station. The 1,000MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power station at Cockenzie […]

Scottish ministers have approved plans to replace a coal-fired power station with a more efficient and environmentally friendly gas-fired station. The 1,000MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power station at Cockenzie in East Lothian will more than halve carbon and nitrogen dioxide emissions compared to the existing power station.

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said converting older forms of power were as important as introducing newer technologies: “Alongside the vast increase in renewable energy that we are working towards, Scotland will still need conventional, clean fossil fuel power to provide a steady supply of electricity. This could be met by new build plant, upgrades to existing plants or a combination of both.”

The CCGT units at Cockenzie combine a gas turbine and a steam generator connected to a steam turbine. Electricity is generated by both the gas turbine and the steam turbine with the exhaust gases from the gas turbine generating the steam to power the steam turbine. CCGT is recognised as one of the best technologies for electricity generation from natural gas.

According to the Scottish Government, coal emits 0.86 tonnes of carbon dioxide while CCGT emits 0.30 tonnes, on average per Megawatt hour.

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