The Tilbury power stations were two
thermal power station
A thermal power station is a type of power station in which heat energy is converted to electrical energy. In a steam-generating cycle heat is used to boil water in a large pressure vessel to produce high-pressure steam, which drives a stea ...
s on the north bank of the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
at
Tilbury
Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a 16th century fort and an ancie ...
in Essex. The 360 MW dual coal- and oil-fired Tilbury A Power Station operated from 1956 until 1981 when it was mothballed, prior to demolition in 1999.
The 1,428 MW Tilbury B Power Station operated between 1968 and 2013 and was fueled by
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when dea ...
,
as well as
co-firing {{No footnotes, date=November 2010
Co-firing is the combustion of two (or more) different types of materials at the same time. One of the advantages of co-firing is that an existing plant can be used to burn a new fuel, which may be cheaper or more ...
with
oil
An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...
and, from 2011,
biomass
Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bi ...
. Tilbury B was demolished in 2016–19.
Since 2013 three other power stations have been proposed or constructed in Tilbury.
History
A station
Tilbury A power station was planned from 1947 by the County of London Electricity Supply Company Limited. Following the
nationalisation
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
of the electricity industry in 1948 the plans were taken forward successively by the
British Electricity Authority
The British Electricity Authority (BEA) was established as the central British electricity authority in 1948 under the nationalisation of Great Britain's electricity supply industry enacted by the Electricity Act 1947. The BEA was responsible for ...
, the
Central Electricity Authority
The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) was a body that managed and operated the electricity supply industry in England and Wales between 1 April 1955 and 31 December 1957. The CEA replaced the earlier British Electricity Authority (BEA) as a r ...
and from 1958 the
Central Electricity Generating Board
The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was responsible for electricity generation, transmission and bulk sales in England and Wales from 1958 until privatisation of the electricity industry in the 1990s.
It was established on 1 Januar ...
. Construction of Tilbury A was sanctioned in 1950 and began in 1951 and was initially commissioned in 1956 by the Central Electricity Authority.
After operating for 25 years the A station was mothballed by the CEGB in 1981 and eventually demolished in 1999, mostly everything including the turbine hall was demolished. The waste water and a small part of the station remained due to being a listed building
The site was entirely cleared in 2019 for the construction of the Tilbury2 port.
B station
The CEGB began construction of the larger 1,428 MW Tilbury B station in 1961. This was commissioned in 1968
and was operating at full capacity by 1969.
On privatisation of the electricity industry in 1990 it was assigned to
National Power
National power is defined as the sum of all resources available to a nation in the pursuit of national objectives. Assessing the national power of political entities was already a matter of relevance during the classical antiquity, the middle ages ...
, and was later operated by
RWE npower
Npower Limited is a British supplier of gas and electricity to businesses. It has been a subsidiary of E.ON UK since January 2019. The company was formerly known as Innogy plc and was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of ...
.
Conversion to biomass
In May 2011, RWE began converting the B station to burn biomass only. They hoped the conversion would allow 750 MW of electricity to be generated from burning
wood pellet
Pellet fuels (or pellets) are biofuels made from compressed organic matter or biomass. Pellets can be made from any one of five general categories of biomass: industrial waste and co-products, food waste, agricultural residues, energy crops, and ...
s imported from a pelleting plant in Georgia, USA, and other sources from Europe by the winter of 2011. This conversion made the station the biggest biomass generating site in the world.
In July 2013 RWE npower announced they were halting the conversion due to difficulty in converting and financing the plant. It was mothballed after failing to receive a government grant and was decommissioned and subsequently demolished during 2016–9.
C station
In early 2007,
npower announced plans to replace the B station with a 1,600 MW 'cleaner' coal-fired power station. The station would have cost £1 billion to build and was hoped to be operational by 2014. The plans were supported by the
Port of London Authority
The Port of London Authority (PLA) is a self-funding public trust established on 31 March 1909 in accordance with the Port of London Act 1908 to govern the Port of London. Its responsibility extends over the Tideway of the River Thames and its ...
. RWE had also planned to build a clean coal power station at
Blyth but they have since postponed both schemes.
Design and specification
A station
Sir
Alexander Gibb
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
and Partners were the civil consulting engineers and architects of Tilbury A; the main consulting engineers were
Merz & McLellan
Merz and McLellan was a leading British electrical engineering consultancy based in Newcastle.
History
The firm was founded by Charles Merz and William McLellan in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1902 when McLellan joined Merz's existing firm establishe ...
.
The A station was built on the 226 acre (91.5 hectare) site and was a
steel framed construction with elevations in
London stock brick
London stock brick is the type of handmade brick which was used for the majority of building work in London and South East England until the growth in the use of Flettons and other machine-made bricks in the early 20th century. Its distinctive y ...
. The integrated boiler house and turbine hall were lit by tall rectangular windows, with ancillary buildings by smaller square windows.
The A station had two 100 metre high concrete chimneys.
Tilbury A had six 60 MW steam
turbo-alternators three were manufactured by
English Electric
N.º UIC: 9094 110 1449-3 (Takargo Rail)
The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after the Armistice of 11 November 1918, armistice of World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during th ...
and three by Parsons giving a total output of 360 MW. It was designed as a coal-fired station with coal delivered to the jetty on the Thames and stored initially to the east and later to the north of the building. Soon after completion in 1958 the station was adapted to also burn oil. The total steam capacity of the John Thompson boilers was 3,240,000 lb/hr (408 kg/s).
The steam pressure and temperature at the turbine stop-valve was 900 psi (62 bar) and 482 °C. The alternators generated current at 11.4 kV.
Cooling water was drawn from, and returned to, the Thames via caissons in the fueling jetty. The station connected to the
National Grid at the nearby 275 kV Tilbury
substation. Tilbury A had several railway sidings accessed via a connection to the
London, Tilbury and Southend railway
The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LT&SR), was a British railway company, whose network connected Fenchurch Street railway station, Fenchurch Street station, in central London, with destinations in east London and Essex, including , , , T ...
between the former
Tilbury Riverside and
Low Street railway stations.
In 1963 Tilbury A was used in experiments by the CEGB on the behaviour of pollutants (principally
sulphur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide (IUPAC-recommended spelling) or sulphur dioxide (traditional Commonwealth English) is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a toxic gas responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is released naturally by volcanic activ ...
) in flue gas plumes emitted from the power station chimneys. The results showed that the maximum pollutant concentrations occurred 2.4 km downwind of the station in strong winds and 9.6 – 13 km downwind in light winds.
B station
The B station was built on the site of coal store to the east of the A station; the coal store for both stations was then relocated to the north of the site.
The B station was a steel framed construction with unfenestrated elevations of concrete cladding. The taller boiler house block was orientated north–south to the west of the adjoining turbine hall; control rooms and offices were at the south end.
Tilbury B comprised four generating units each of 350 MW. When all four units were available the combined output capacity was 1428 MW, enough power for 1.4 million people, approximately 80% of the population of Essex.
The boiler steam pressure was 158.58 bar at a temperature of 566 °C. Discharge from the HP turbine was returned to the boilers for reheat to 566 °C. The boilers had a capacity of 4 × 296 kg/s.
The station had two 168 metre high concrete chimneys. One unit was later decommissioned and was used for spare parts for maintenance of the remaining 3 generating units.
In addition to the steam generating sets Tilbury power station had auxiliary gas turbines for peak-shaving. This comprised four 17.5 MW gas turbines, the oldest set was commissioned in February 1965.
Two 800 tonne coal unloaders were installed on the jetty in 1990.
The jetty was enlarged in 2004 to accommodate ships carrying up to 65,000 tons of coal.
Electricity output
Electricity output for Tilbury A & B stations over the period 1957-1987 was as follows.
Tilbury A annual electricity output GWh.
Tilbury B annual electricity output GWh.
The steam turbo-alternators of B station were not commissioned until 1968; the output of B station before this date was from the gas-turbine sets commissioned in February 1965.
The maximum thermal efficiency of the A station was 30.84%; and for the B station was 32.19%.
Incidents
1977 fire
In the early hours of 16 November 1977 a fire broke out at Tilbury B. It spread from the control room along cable ducts and caused severe cracks in the £70 million building. The site was evacuated but three engineers who had stayed behind to shut down the plant were taken to hospital after inhaling fumes. Foam equipment was brought from other power stations and by the evening the fire had been contained.
2008 boiler incident
On 1 July 2008, an engineer servicing an offline boiler at the station fell from scaffolding into the boiler. Crews used an internal staircase in the boiler to rescue him.
2009 fire
A fire broke out at the power station on 29 July 2009 shortly after 3 pm, with the failure of one of the station's high-pressure turbine units. Workers were evacuated immediately and the fire was reported to be under control by 5:30 pm. There were no casualties.
2012 fire
A major fire broke out in a fuel storage area of the station on the morning of 27 February 2012.
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) is the statutory fire and rescue service for the county of Essex in the east of England, and is one of the largest fire services in the country, covering an area of and a population of over 1.7mill ...
mobilised over 120 firefighters to the fire, which involved some 4,000 to 6,000 tonnes of fuel in storage cells, two of which were described as "well alight".
Essex Chief Fire Officer David Johnson reported that firefighting operations were hindered by the fact that the blaze was high up in the main structure of the station, which was also heavily smoke-logged. In addition to 15
pumping appliances, crews used three aerial ladder platforms, one major rescue tender, three bulk foam tenders and a thermal-imaging camera in a helicopter to help tackle the fire. Support crews were drafted in from the
London Fire Brigade
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is the fire and rescue service for London, the capital of the United Kingdom. It was formed by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Act 1865, under the leadership of superintendent Eyre Massey Shaw. It has 5,992staff, in ...
.
Despite initial reports, another fire in the adjacent
Tilbury docks
The Port of Tilbury is a port on the River Thames at Tilbury in Essex, England. It is the principal port for London, as well as being the main United Kingdom port for handling the importation of paper. There are extensive facilities for contai ...
which started around the same time was not connected to the larger blaze at the power station. It took firefighters several hours to bring the power station fire under control, and relief crews remained at the site for days afterward dousing and removing embers.
Chimneys and power station demolition
The chimneys of the B station were demolished on 28 September 2017.
In March 2019, the 14th and final explosive demolition took place.
Ash disposal site
Ash from the boilers at Tilbury power station was deposited on the low lying marshland to the east of the site. The land at Goshems Farm East Tilbury had also been subject to other landfill activity over the years and the fill comprised a mixture of ash and glass bottles.
The site had been poorly restored and had little topsoil cover and was uneven and littered with debris. In 2003 a plan was inaugurated to restore the site. This would entail raising the height of the land using soil from civil engineering works along the River Thames and restore the site to high quality arable farmland. Inert construction material is transported in barges to the wharf at Goshems Farm. The first barge was unloaded in 2011 and the restoration works are ongoing. A public footpath will be created along the riverside. Tilbury Ash Disposal Site is operated by Ingrebourne Valley Ltd.
Other power stations in Tilbury
In addition to Tilbury A and B there are three other power stations in Tilbury that are planned or are now operational.
Tilbury Energy Centre
The Tilbury Energy Centre is a planned
natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
Combined Cycle Gas Turbine
A combined cycle power plant is an assembly of heat engines that work in tandem from the same source of heat, converting it into mechanical energy. On land, when used to make electricity the most common type is called a combined cycle gas turb ...
(CCGT) power station which also includes a peaking plant and a battery energy storage unit. The centre is owned and will be operated by RWE Generation UK plc.
It is located on the site of the demolished Tilbury B power station.
The Tilbury Energy Centre will comprise three gas-fired CCGT generating units with a total output capacity of 2500 MW; a 300 MW peaking plant comprising
open cycle gas turbines
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas generator or core) and are, in the directi ...
(OCGT); and batteries with a capacity of 100 MW. The centre will also have the capability to act as a
combined heat and power
Cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) is the use of a heat engine or power station to generate electricity and useful heat at the same time.
Cogeneration is a more efficient use of fuel or heat, because otherwise- wasted heat from elect ...
facility and will be provided with
carbon capture Carbon capture may refer to:
* Carbon capture and utilization, where the captured carbon dioxide is used
* Carbon sequestration, where the captured carbon dioxide is stored
** Carbon capture and storage, referring to carbon sequestration from point ...
readiness capability.
The flue stacks of the CCGT will be 95 metres in height and the OCGT stack(s) will 45 metres high.
In November 2018 RWE evaluated its UK energy options and decided to freeze the Tilbury Energy Centre development.
Thurrock Flexible Generation Plant
The Thurrock Flexible Generation Plant is a planned natural gas engine and battery energy electricity supply facility.
The plant will be developed, owned and operated by Thurrock Power Limited, a subsidiary of Statera Energy. It is located immediately north of the former Tilbury A & B power station site and south of the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway. The main site occupies an area of 18.5 hectares.
The plant will comprise up to 60 fast-starting gas engines fuelled by
natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
connected to electricity generators which will generate a total of 600 MW of electricity. In addition, batteries will store up to 600 MWh and export up to 150 MW of electricity. The engines will not run continuously but will start up for short periods several times a day as the
National Grid requires, it is envisaged that they will run for up to 4000 hours per year, i.e. less than half the year.
Electrical transformers and switchgear step-up the voltage from the batteries and generators to match the 275 kV National Grid voltage at Tilbury substation.
The flue stacks from the engines may be grouped together; the stacks will be 40 metres tall. The engine building will be 20 metres high and the battery building up to 10 metres high.
It is envisaged that advance works will start in 2020; main construction work will start in 2021 and take 18 months to six years in total over several phases. The plant will have a design operational life of 35 years.
Tilbury Green Power
The Tilbury Green Power plant is an operational electricity generating facility which uses wood as a fuel source. The plant is owned and operated by Tilbury Green Power Limited.
The plant is located within the
Port of Tilbury
The Port of Tilbury is a port on the River Thames at Tilbury in Essex, England. It is the principal port for London, as well as being the main United Kingdom port for handling the importation of paper. There are extensive facilities for contai ...
, Essex. There are two phases of development: Phase 1 is a 40 MW waste wood power plant; and Phase 2 is a 20 MW Solid Recovered Fuel power plant. Only Phase 1 has currently been developed; construction started in August 2015 and the plant was commissioned in early 2019.
The plant utilises about 270,000 tonnes of waste wood to produce up to 319,000 MWh of renewable electricity each year. Wood is processed onsite to produce wood-chip which is burned in a single travelling grate boiler to produce high pressure steam. This steam passes through a single
steam turbine
A steam turbine is a machine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Charles Parsons in 1884. Fabrication of a modern steam turbin ...
to generate electricity. Electricity (at 132 kV) is supplied to the National Grid via a 4.5 km underground cable to the existing 132 kV substation at Tilbury.
Flue gases from the boiler are treated by emissions control technology including
Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction
Selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) is a method to lessen nitrogen oxide emissions in conventional power plants that burn biomass, waste and coal. The process involves injecting either ammonia or urea into the firebox of the boiler at a locati ...
(SNCR), fabric filters, and dry lime and activated carbon injection. Exhaust gases are discharged via a 100 metre high stack.
References
External links
YouTube- fire at the power station
YouTube-
Bill Oddie
William Edgar Oddie (born 7 July 1941) is an English writer, comedian, songwriter, musician, artist, birder, conservationist, television presenter and actor. He was a member of comedy trio The Goodies.
A birder since his childhood in Quinton, ...
opens an environmental centre at the power station.
{{RWE
Coal-fired power stations in England
Power stations in the East of England
Power stations on the River Thames
RWE
Port of London
1956 establishments in England
Buildings and structures in Essex
Oil-fired power stations in England
Demolished power stations in the United Kingdom
Former power stations in England
Biofuel power stations in England
1981 disestablishments in England
Tilbury
Buildings and structures in Thurrock