Stunner of a sunny ride to Sutton Bridge gas plant

Geoff Curran writes last night… Well, what a difference a day makes. Yesterday, I had a bad day, working to a deadline, not getting enough food and feeling very down […]

Geoff Curran writes last night…

Well, what a difference a day makes. Yesterday, I had a bad day, working to a deadline, not getting enough food and feeling very down for a while. And also very worried about today, particularly when I saw the weather this morning…..torrential rain.

However…..the rain stopped at 10.30 a.m., I got on the bike just after 11 and then had the joy of cycling through Norfolk villages (Warham, Wighton, North Creake, Stanhoe, Docking, Fring, Dersingham, Sandringham) in the glorious sun at times and with a big sky of blue and white fluffy clouds. Having planned properly, I then sat down for lunch in King’s Lynn, having had the very enjoyable experience of riding the town’s bike paths which were fantastic.

After lunch was the main event of the day, getting to see Sutton Bridge power station, a CCGT type, with two General Electric Frame 9 (9FA+) gas turbines powered with natural gas. The exhaust gas heats a heat recovery steam generator, made by the Dutch company Standard Fasel Lentjes, which powers a GE 280 MW steam turbine. The electrical generators were also built by GE, which connect to the National Grid at 400 kV. The plant employs thirty five people and supplies 2% of the electricity for England and Wales!

That left me a run of about 15 miles to get to the B&B where I did get a blast of cold rain but a hot shower and a rather large Chinese meal have put me in good stead for tomorrow. Roll on day five.

Geoff is cycling to some of the UK’s most iconic power plants over seven days to raise money for Parkinson’s UK. To donate please visit the Power Ride’s Justgiving site.

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