Spalding Energy Expansion is a 945MW gas-fired power generation and battery storage facility planned to be developed adjacent to the existing 880MW Spalding power plant in Lincolnshire, UK.
Spalding Energy Expansion, a subsidiary of InterGen, is the developer and operator of the project.
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The expansion project involves a 300MW open-cycle gas power plant commissioned in July 2019 with an estimated investment of £100m ($122m). A 470MW combined-cycle power plant and a 175MW battery storage facility are also planned to be developed at the site in future.
Construction on the 300MW Spalding Energy Expansion was started in March 2018, following financial closure in February 2018.
The facility is intended to be operated as a flexible peaking plant for the UK electricity grid, utilising existing gas and electrical infrastructure at the site.
Location and site details
The Spalding Energy Expansion project is located on a site adjacent to the existing Spalding power plant at West Marsh Road, Spalding, which is a market town in the Lincolnshire County, England.
Spalding energy expansion background
InterGen’s existing 880MW combined-cycle gas-fired power plant started commercial operations in 2004. It is equipped with General Electric 9FA gas turbines.
InterGen received planning consent form the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change for the Spalding Energy Expansion project with a total capacity of 900MW in November 2010, while a revised planning consent for 945MW capacity was granted in October 2015.
The latest revised consent for the project including the 175MW battery storage facility was received in January 2018.
InterGen secured a 15-year contract for the 300MW open-cycle plant of the Spalding energy expansion project in the UK’s T-4 Capacity Market (CM) auction in December 2016. The auction was conducted by the National Grid on behalf of the UK government.
The 300MW plant will deliver electricity to the National Grid at £22.50/kW a year for a period of 15 years from 2020 onwards.
Spalding Energy Expansion plant make-up
The 300MW open-cycle power plant of the Spalding Energy Expansion project is equipped with an F-class gas turbine from Siemens.
The planned 470MW combined-cycle generating unit will comprise a gas turbine, a heat recovery stream generator (HRSG), and a steam turbine.
Other infrastructure facilities include air-cooled condensers and a 400kV substation, apart from ancillary plant and equipment.
Financing
InterGen secured £100m ($122m) of limited recourse financing for the open-cycle power plant in February 2018. Spanish multi-national commercial bank Santander and German bank Nord LB provided credit facilities for the project.
Spalding Energy Expansion is the first large-scale thermal power project in the UK to obtain limited recourse financing based on a 15-year capacity agreement with the government.
Contractors involved
Siemens supplied the F-class gas turbine used in the 300MW open-cycle power plant, under a contract awarded in February 2018.
Atlantic Project Company UK was engaged as the construction and balance of plant (BoP) contractor for the project, while Darke Engineering was contracted for the gas infrastructure.
