Generator bid at Percival Lane

PLANNING permission is being sought for revamped plans for a 20-megawatt gas-powered standby electricity generator in Runcorn.

UK Power Reserve Ltd wants to build the plant on Percival Lane.

The application includes a request for permission to install flues, soundproofing and power infrastructure.

Public consultation is open until August 11 with a decision target date of August 17.

Halton Borough Council granted the company permission last year to install a 20MW plant.

In a design statement accompanying the plans, UK Power Reserve said its redrafted proposals will reduce emissions and noise.

It added that the plant is expected to create two jobs for field service engineers plus work for contractors.

The site would be part of a UK Power Reserve standby energy generator network.

The company supplies electricity under contracts with National Grid.

Authors of the design statement added that small generators provide a reliable source of power that can be used in the event of lags in supply and will be able to mitigate against the closure of large coal-fired plants.

They added that a programme to replace nuclear power stations is ‘well behind schedule’.

The report said: “The increasing size of new nuclear power stations increases the impact of any short term loss of capacity at a facility.

“The prospect of a reduced capacity margin in the UK is therefore very high and there is an even greater requirement for rapid response, reserve power.

“Wind farms and solar parks do not have predictable output.

“Both wind and solar are inherently intermittent generation and are not a like-for-like replacement for the retired coal and nuclear base load generation.

“Again, this means an enhanced requirement for a flexible, fast-acting response from other generation, in order to meet demand.”