New small-scale gas generators join the UK power system

A new wave of small gas-fuelled power generation plants is being built to help Britain’s power grid cope with increased volumes of intermittent power sources and to meet peak loads.

Caterpillar dealer Finning UK & Ireland has signed a contract to supply Power Balancing Services (PBS) with 15 new 2 MW gas-fuelled generators, which will be installed at five sites across the UK over the next three years and produce a combined 30 MW of power to help to modernise the UK’s electricity network.

The first gensets will soon be delivered to a site at Asher Lane, Nottingham, and are set to start supplying electricity to the UK national grid this month.

PBS will use the generators primarily to meet contracts it signed under the government’s Capacity Mechanism – which offers financial incentives for companies willing to provide reliable capacity to the grid as aging coal-fired and nuclear power plants are taken offline.

The reciprocating gas engines can be installed in a short timeframe to offer an easily integrated power generation solution, making them ideal for meeting the demands of the Capacity Mechanism, says PBS. At the same time, running the gas engines over a long period will be more economical than using similarly-sized diesel generators and will emit significantly less carbon dioxide.

Meanwhile, Green Frog Power is building a series of nine new gas-fuelled power stations across the country to provide peak power to the grid, with the support of a £50mn facility from Lloyds Bank. The company says it has 178 MW of generating capacity in construction as part of a national for developing new, flexible capacity to improve the UK’s security of supply.