4 August 2011: Energy Minister Charles Hendry has given the go-ahead today for InterGen’s proposals to construct a new 900MW gas power plant at the London Gateway Logistics Park, Coryton, Essex. The plans are for a new £600 million power station comprising of up to two CCGT generating units, each around 450MW in capacity. Further information on the scheme is available on the Gateway Energy Centre website .
No mention is made in the Government’s press release about any requirements for the power station to operate in higher efficiency CHP-mode. As part of Intergen’s 2010 planning submission to the Government a CHP assessment was undertaken which stated that responses from nearby organisations to take heat from the power station “have been encouraging. For example, there is the potential to supply the London Gateway Development with heat in the form of hot water or steam for heating or refrigeration purposes. The project also has the potential to provide heat to organisations in the area such as the Petroplus owned Coryton Oil Refinery, the Ford Motor Company at Dunton and Basildon Hospital.”
The assessment continues that the “Gateway Energy Centre (GEC) will hold further discussions with local organisations, including government agencies, with the aim of establishing further interest e.g. in a community heating scheme. If achieved, the result of this would be to improve overall plant efficiency whilst also reducing energy consumption by the users of the heat. The design of GEC will incorporate features which, with suitable modifications, will allow for export of heat in the event that suitable users are identified.”