Fiddlers Ferry & Rugeley Power stations to close

[APOLLO]

I remember the Winter of 73/4.as an apprentice gas engineer we were working 12 hour days 6 days a week for a while converting appliances from Town gas to North sea gas in Wigan - by torchlight when needed !!!!!!

 

On my then few friday nights out we sought out the pubs with hand pumps - those with electric beer pumps selling bottles only !!. Great nights out everybody singing (badly) by candle light as the Juke Boxes like the beer pumps stopped working.

 

We were lucky at home  back then as our house was fed from the nearby sub-station that fed the Hospital - no cuts for us.

 

This wood biomass is a joke - burning it produces just as much CO2 and other products of combustion as coal. Green in the smoke laden eyes of our beloved politicians - give them all a medal !!!

 

Brit15

[royaloak]

I trust you really mean the early 1970's? (Particularly the winter of 1973/74.)

 

With Ted Heath's three day week and all of that.

 

Was gutted when the children's TV got canned due to a black out.

 

Remembering how the local paper produced a rota schedule of the envisaged low, medium and high risk areas for black outs in 'not so sunny' St.Albans on a week by week basis. And how most of the chain stores were rigged up with temporary lighting fed from emergency generators.

I would have been 7 years old in 73 so it was definitely later than that, probably from 1979 to 1983ish.

[APOLLO]

Had a run down to IKEA Warrington today. looking across to Fiddlers ferry power station it seemed "dead" - no smoke or steam. Anyway, just seen this on BBC news

 

The UK is set to spend its first full day without generating electricity from coal on Friday, the National Grid says.

It said the previous longest continuous period without coal-generation was 19 hours, achieved last May. It comes after years of moving to less-polluting natural gas and renewables - though demand for power also tends to be lower on Fridays. 

Although National Grid said a coal-free day looked likely, it would only know for sure very late on Friday.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39668889

 

http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

 

Never thought I'd see the day.

 

Brit15

[jonny777]

I would have been 7 years old in 73 so it was definitely later than that, probably from 1979 to 1983ish.

 

No.

 

Defiinitely 1973 for widespread power cuts. I moved in Aug 73 and they were certainly at my former home.

 

1974 was the year of the 50mph speed limit, due to the OPEC oil shutdown.

 

There may have been power cuts 79-83, but I don't remember them.

[jonny777]

Had a run down to IKEA Warrington today. looking across to Fiddlers ferry power station it seemed "dead" - no smoke or steam. Anyway, just seen this on BBC news

 

The UK is set to spend its first full day without generating electricity from coal on Friday, the National Grid says.

It said the previous longest continuous period without coal-generation was 19 hours, achieved last May. It comes after years of moving to less-polluting natural gas and renewables - though demand for power also tends to be lower on Fridays. 

Although National Grid said a coal-free day looked likely, it would only know for sure very late on Friday.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39668889

 

http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

 

Never thought I'd see the day.

 

Brit15

 

 

Not looking good for coal at present -

 

[New Haven Neil]

I see they have pushed biomass into the red and the interconnectors are full out too, to achieve it - making a point?  But is it real....given they are taking so much out of elsewhere.

[Ian Smeeton]

Surely the coal stations will still be running as you can't just turn them on and off as with Hydro, or gas?

 

Regards

 

Ian

[lmsforever]

All very worrying especialy as the companies who can build nuclear are all from abroad and seem to be going bust ,coal is there without any delivery problems ie pellets crossing the Atlantic.The greens have put this country in a serious position regarding power supply with the people who carried out the policy have moved across to the pellet producing companies making a fort,une in the process, such is progress.The lights will go out some time soon with out doubt.

[Davexoc]

Surely the coal stations will still be running as you can't just turn them on and off as with Hydro, or gas?

 

Regards

 

Ian

They have wound them down recently as it has got warmer. What happens this week is they fire back up as the overnight temperatures are due to drop.

I do believe the headline should read 'No power from coal only stations' because doesn't Drax co-fire biomass with coal, biomass being a low calorific fuel that burns cleaner with the presence of coal?

Anyway, the maintenance teams now have plenty of time to get ready for next winter when we get a dull, foggy, windless spell, and renewables can't produce 20% of our power requirements.....

 

Dave

[jjb1970]

The reason for co-firing is the low CV of biomass which is an issue if you want high power outputs. Biomass burns reasonably cleanly and emissions abatement is very straightforward.

[jim.snowdon]

Surely the coal stations will still be running as you can't just turn them on and off as with Hydro, or gas?

 

Regards

 

Ian

What you can't do is just turn the turbo alternators on and off. Steam turbines need to be warmed up and cooled down gently, so even on a non-generating day will be kept in light steam just to keep them warm and rotating.

 

Jim

[Davexoc]

The reason for co-firing is the low CV of biomass which is an issue if you want high power outputs. Biomass burns reasonably cleanly and emissions abatement is very straightforward.

Agreed, but the headline was that no coal was used for power generation.

Stop co-firing and how will the resultant shortfall be made up? Probably coal....

 

Dave

[jjb1970]

Unless a reliable, affordable carbon capture technology is developed and the issues around what to do with the captured carbon are resolved I really can't see a future for coal generation. Large coal plants are not really energy efficient and the size makes combined heat and power difficult as the heat balance would only work if you had a monumental heat client. This is further complicated by the fact that the grid increasingly only really wants flexible thermal power and with a coal plant you design it for high efficiency or flexibility. Yes, you can clean the emissions and those coalers still operating have had to fit flue gas de-sulphurisation and abate NOx, PM etc but at a certain point you have to question the wisdom of moving pollution around rather than just avoiding it in the first place.

[mpb56125]

GBRf have started to run coal trains from Redcar to Fiddlers Ferry this week. Freightliner Heavy Haul should also be re-starting shortly.

https://mark5812.smugmug.com/Trains-2017/August-2017/i-wQwJ9HZ

https://mark5812.smugmug.com/Trains-2017/August-2017/i-4Rrj4Jp/A

https://mark5812.smugmug.com/Trains-2017/August-2017/i-Kbwz3wx/A

 

Mark

https://mark5812.smugmug.com/