Power station bids for extension (From Thurrock Gazette)

Power station bids for extension

3:00pm Thursday 4th October 2012 in News

TILBURY Power Station has applied to Thurrrock Council to extend the life of its plant to 2027.

The power station recently converted to biomass fuel, burning sustainably-sourced wood pellets instead of coal, and is the largest of its type in the world.

Along with the application to extend its life, the plant is also applying for permit for the longer term use of biomass fuel.

Should both applications be approved, RWE N Power, which owns the site, will be upgrading some of its equipment and investing more money in the station.

Power station manager, Nigel Staves, said: “In 2011, Tilbury Power Station was the first major coal-fired power station in the world to be converted to run on 100 per cent sustainably sourced wood pellet biomass.

“Since then it has served as a unique opportunity to assess the longer-term feasibility of using wood pellets to generate renewable energy at large scale.

“We are now looking towards the longer term future of Tilbury and our proposals could ensure the use of sustainable biomass at the site and the continued role of Tilbury at the heart of meeting the UK’s energy needs.”

The power station, in Fort Road, suffered a setback in February after 6,000 tonnes of woodchip fuel there caught fire.

The blaze took the station off the national grid for four months.