Drax to Build Gas Power Station in Abergelli
An application by Drax to build a gas power station in Abergelli to support the electricity system as more renewables come online, has been approved by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The 299MW Open Cycle Gas Turbine power station, on land located at Abergelli Farm, south of Felindre in southern Wales, will be able to go from cold to full load in less than 20 minutes, enabling it to respond quickly to support the grid. Once operational, it will run for up to an average of 1,500 hours a year, providing flexible, reliable power, when it’s needed most and system support services contributing to a balanced and cost-effective electricity system, maintaining supplies for up to 150,000 homes.
Mr Andy Koss CEO Generation at Drax said that “Securing this approval from the Secretary of State is a crucial step in ensuring development of the new gas generation the UK needs to provide flexible power and system support services to the electricity grid as part of the country’s transition to a low carbon economy. Rapid response gas power stations are agile enough to ramp up quickly and support the grid at times of peak demand, making them highly complementary to intermittent renewable sources of power, like wind and solar. Flexible, reliable power stations like this are essential to provide the power Britain’s homes, businesses, transport and infrastructure need.
Source : Strategic Research Institute