The key feature that will make a new £350 million power station a world leader in cleanliness and efficiency is on its way to the Energy Estuary.
Siemens’ state-of-the-art combined cycle gas turbine is billed as a game-changer for power generation, and will be put into action at SSE’s Keadby Two.
The 840MW power station will provide electricity for around 840,000 homes from 2022.
The 50Hertz version of its SGT-9000HL turbine set sail from Berlin today, Friday, May 15, heading to Rotterdam and crossing the North Sea to the River Humber, before using tributary the Trent to get up close to the North Lincolnshire location.
The turbine - as powerful as 1,400 Porsche 911s - is 13 metres long, 5.3 metres wide and 5.5 metres tall, and can decarbonise generation through either carbon capture or hydrogen technology, with plans for both in the region. It weighs 160 tonnes.
SSE secured a 15-year capacity agreement for the new build in March.
The power station, many years in planning, is being constructed as a full turnkey solution by Siemens, who will also provide plant servicing under a 15-year contract.
Steve Scrimshaw, chief executive for Siemens Energy Ltd 海角视频 & Ireland, said: "Keadby Two will play an important role in providing efficient and flexible power generation to around 840,000 海角视频 homes, businesses and public services.
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"As the 海角视频 moves to reach its target for net zero emissions by 2050, the flexibility provided by gas-fired power will complement an increasing amount of renewable generation on the grid. And, combined with development of carbon capture technology, and new fuels such as hydrogen, CO2 from gas power generation can be significantly reduced to reach net zero."
Once completed, the CCGT will achieve around 63 per cent efficiency, enabling the 海角视频 to move away from coal in the 2020s and to integrate more renewables into the power grid.
Underlining the flexibility, the turbine will be able to reach full combined cycle power in 30 minutes.
Construction is progressing through the coronavirus outbreak, with new ways of working introduced to meet the Government guidance on social distancing, as well as the site operating procedures guidance from the Construction Industries Council.
Stephen Wheeler, managing director at SSE Thermal, said: “Today marks a hugely exciting milestone for our Keadby Two project as the turbine begins its journey to north Lincolnshire. “This first-of-a-kind technology will make Keadby Two the 海角视频’s cleanest and most efficient gas-fired power station, displacing older, more carbon-intensive generation, and providing vital flexibility for the electricity system.
“The construction of Keadby Two is a key part of our strategy to decarbonise our thermal power generation and complement the growth of renewables as we transition to net zero. “We’re also exploring the potential for further decarbonisation in the Humber region through carbon capture and hydrogen solutions as routes to market develop.”