Project status
- Project Design
- Community Consultation
- Planning Application Submission
- Planning Application Decision
- Construction
- Operational
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Where
Hart Hartlepool
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What
Gas Peaking Plant
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Network Connection Capacity
49.5 MW
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Equivalent household power use
100,000 homes at full power
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Annual CO2 emissions saved
Switching from coal to gas for electricity generation reduces CO2 by 50%
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Targeted Operational Date
2022
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Project Development Size
0.5 hectares
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Project Lifespan
20 years
The Hartmoor gas peaking plant project is a medium size gas-fired power plant built on land adjacent to National Grid’s Hartmoor 275 kV high voltage substation.
The site began operation in 2022 as part of the UK’s transition to a low carbon electricity network which saw coal-fired plants replaced by cleaner gas-fired power stations. In 2012 coal-fired power plants generated 40% of the UK’s electricity, in 2021 this was reduced to just 2%.
Hartmoor is a gas peaking plant that generates electricity to supplement renewable energy from wind and solar farms to balance electricity supply with household and business demand. The Hartmoor project operates for around 2,000 hours annually as part of its UK Capacity Market obligation to supply back-up power to the network. Gas peaking plants, like Hartmoor, have played an important role in ensuring security of energy supply as the UK has replaced controllable coal-fired generation with weather dependent renewable energy sources.
In the future this network balancing role will largely be achieved with battery energy storage.
Project overview
Norwich Gas Generator – 49.5 MW low carbon gas generator project
The Norwich gas generator project is a medium size gas-fired power plant built on National Grid land adjacent to its Norwich 400kV high voltage substation.
Bipsham Gas Generator – 20MW low carbon gas generator project
Bipsham is a small-scale gas-fired power plant built on what was the TVR car factory in Blackpool, England.