Fawley Power Station
Encyclopedia
Fawley Power Station is an oil-fired power station
located on the western side of Southampton Water
, between the villages of Fawley
and Calshot
in Hampshire
. Its 198 m (650 feet) chimney is a prominent (and navigationally useful) landmark, but it is not, as is sometimes claimed, the highest point in Hampshire
(which is Pilot Hill
).
Fawley was built by Mitchell Construction
for the CEGB
and was commissioned in 1971 as a 2,000 megawatt (MW) power station, with four 500 MW generating units, each consisting of a boiler supplying steam to a turbine that powers an associated generator. It is interesting as the cooling pumps were Britain's largest with a flow of 210000 GPM. One was driven by an experimental super-conducting electric motor. Two units were mothballed in 1995. This means that the station currently produces only 1,000 MW of power.
The station, which today is owned and operated by N Power
, is oil-fired, powered by heavy fuel oil. A pipeline connects the station to the nearby Fawley oil refinery. It is one of three power stations in the country to be run on oil. Because oil is more expensive than other fuels such as coal and natural gas, Fawley does not operate continuously, but comes on line at times of high demand.
CEGB plans for a coal-fired Fawley B station have not yet been pursued following privatisation of the industry.
Fossil fuel power plant
A fossil-fuel power station is a power station that burns fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas or petroleum to produce electricity. Central station fossil-fuel power plants are designed on a large scale for continuous operation...
located on the western side of Southampton Water
Southampton Water
Southampton Water is a tidal estuary north of the Solent and the Isle of Wight in England. The city of Southampton lies at its most northerly point. Along its salt marsh-fringed western shores lie the New Forest villages of Hythe and "the waterside", Dibden Bay, and the Esso oil refinery at Fawley...
, between the villages of Fawley
Fawley, Hampshire
Fawley is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It is situated in the New Forest on the western shore of the Solent, approximately 7 miles south of Southampton. Fawley is also the site of an oil refinery, operated by Exxon-Mobil, which is the largest facility of its kind in the United...
and Calshot
Calshot
Calshot is a coastal village in Hampshire, England at the west corner of Southampton_Water where it joins the Solent. A settlement at the site is believed to have existed since the fifth century AD...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. Its 198 m (650 feet) chimney is a prominent (and navigationally useful) landmark, but it is not, as is sometimes claimed, the highest point in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
(which is Pilot Hill
Pilot Hill
Pilot Hill is a hill in Hampshire, UK, which at 286 m is the highest in the county. The hill is part of the scarp of the North Hampshire Downs, a chalk ridge within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The upper slopes are open calcareous grassland, while the lower...
).
Fawley was built by Mitchell Construction
Mitchell Construction
Mitchell Construction was once a leading British civil engineering business based in Peterborough.-History:The business was founded by F.G. Mitchell in London in 1933 as an offshoot of Mitchell Engineering, his engineering business. In 1940 the Company moved to Peterborough because of the...
for the CEGB
CEGB
The Central Electricity Generating Board was the cornerstone of the British electricity industry for almost 40 years; from 1957, to privatisation in the 1990s....
and was commissioned in 1971 as a 2,000 megawatt (MW) power station, with four 500 MW generating units, each consisting of a boiler supplying steam to a turbine that powers an associated generator. It is interesting as the cooling pumps were Britain's largest with a flow of 210000 GPM. One was driven by an experimental super-conducting electric motor. Two units were mothballed in 1995. This means that the station currently produces only 1,000 MW of power.
The station, which today is owned and operated by N Power
Npower (UK)
RWE Npower plc is a UK-based electricity and gas supply generation company, formerly known as Innogy plc. As Innogy plc it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
, is oil-fired, powered by heavy fuel oil. A pipeline connects the station to the nearby Fawley oil refinery. It is one of three power stations in the country to be run on oil. Because oil is more expensive than other fuels such as coal and natural gas, Fawley does not operate continuously, but comes on line at times of high demand.
CEGB plans for a coal-fired Fawley B station have not yet been pursued following privatisation of the industry.