View of the Old Richborough Power Station, taken from the River Stour
Richborough power station was a 336 MW power station close to the mouth of the River Stour near Sandwich, on the east coast of Kent. It was built on land within the Port of Richborough but being on the northern edge its site lies mostly within the neighbouring parish of Minster, Kent. It operated from 1962 to 1996; the towers were demolished on 11 March 2012. BFL Management Ltd, the current owners of the site plan to bring it back into use as the £750 million Richborough Energy Park. The Central Electricity Generating Board started construction of the power station in 1958, with Unit 1 coming online in December 1962, and Unit 2 following in August 1963.[1] It opened as a 336 MW coal-fired station, using coal from East Kent coalfield and elsewhere.[2][3][4] The maximum total steam capacity of the station boilers was 2,580,000 lb/hr (325 kg/s). Steam pressure and temperature at the turbine stop valves was 1500 psi ( bar) and 538°C.[5] From 1964-72 Richborough was one of the CEGB’s twenty stations with the highest thermal efficiencies. The thermal efficiency was % (1964); (1965); (1966); (1967); (1968); (1969); (1970); (1971); (1972).[5] It was converted to burn oil in summer 1971[1][6] and further converted in 1989 to burn a proprietary oil and water emulsion called Orimulsion, imported from Venezuela through Port Richborough.[7] The site was also chosen as the site for an experimental 1 MW wind turbine, which was at that time the largest ever installed in the UK,[7] with permission given in 1987,[8] and the turbine becoming live in 1989.[7] After growing concerns over the environmental effects of the Orimulsion fuel in the main power station,[9] court action was taken in two separate actions,[10] with both cases settled out of court.[7] One of the turbo-alternators was decommissioned in 1984, this reduced the output capability to 228 MW. The station ceased generating electricity in 1996.
Size: 3983px × 2636px
Location: The River Stour, Richborough, Kent
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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