Cockenzie Power Station closed yesterday

[ywindythesecond]

Cockenzie Power Station closed yesterday 15th March. As I write this, at a period of low demand 10.15am on a Saturday, Scotland is importing 204MW of English electricity. That is one fifth of Cockenzies capacity. Here is why:

http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/6140/sat16marchwind.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/801/sat16marchwind.jpg/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[Shaggy]

why not report the rest of the story in that there are plans to replace the old station with a new CGCT station?
Im sorry but im weary of all your single sided stories & arguments. I was interested in what you had to say until you called us all tossers and now with your selective posting and half-truths, the final nail is in the coffin.

You are on ignore now

[ywindythesecond]

why not report the rest of the story in that there are plans to replace the old station with a new CGCT station?
Im sorry but im weary of all your single sided stories & arguments. I was interested in what you had to say until you called us all tossers and now with your selective posting and half-truths, the final nail is in the coffin.

You are on ignore now

In a well ordered world, the replacement power station would be operational before the old one was closed down. The requirement to close Cockenzie under the Large Combustion Plant Directive has been known since October 2001. Planning consent for the replacement has not yet been sought. I would guess we won't have it for at least 4 years. I have ordered a generator from Amazon today.

[golach]

Why no mention of Torness nuclear power station just a few miles away from Cockenzie, its still working away merrily.

Think I will follow Shaggy and use my ignore option.

[secrets in symmetry]

I don't know why you're getting upset with ywindy. He is reporting facts, and exposing the weaknesses in Eck's energy policies. This is the just the beginning - of the end....

[Shaggy]

SiS - I just cannot understand why, if someone is going to make a post arguing a point about something, they choose to select only the part that suits them. The story posted did not include all the facts. Cockenzie closure isn't news, i knew about it many years ago but the way it was posted this morning was purely to have a dig. Even when the response came to my posting it was false because planning permission was approved in 2011.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2011/10/05131125

I am all for debate and argument but only if all the facts are presented, including all the pros & cons and not just a one-sided pot-shot.

Oh, and i am upset because i still haven't seen a retraction of the name calling nor an apology. Either would go a long way in my book

[secrets in symmetry]

You're right of course, but ywindy was simply pointing out why we currently need other sources of power when the wind's not blowing. In that sense it was a sort of political statement.

Your link makes a fine case for CCGT power stations as baseload generators! It obviously wasn't written by Eck, and you could argue that it's inconsistent with his Ecology policies!

[ywindythesecond]

SiS - I just cannot understand why, if someone is going to make a post arguing a point about something, they choose to select only the part that suits them. The story posted did not include all the facts. Cockenzie closure isn't news, i knew about it many years ago but the way it was posted this morning was purely to have a dig. Even when the response came to my posting it was false because planning permission was approved in 2011.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2011/10/05131125

I am all for debate and argument but only if all the facts are presented, including all the pros & cons and not just a one-sided pot-shot.

Oh, and i am upset because i still haven't seen a retraction of the name calling nor an apology. Either would go a long way in my book

I stand corrected on the planning permission point Shaggy. My post wasn't false which implies lying, it was ill-informed. The two parts to my post included information about wind generation at that time and the unstated but fairly obvious implied message was that it was pretty poor energy planning to shut down a major baseload contributor without having reliable alternative generation in place. You should see what I have been called on the org over the years.

[Rheghead]

I stand corrected on the planning permission point Shaggy. My post wasn't false which implies lying, it was ill-informed. The two parts to my post included information about wind generation at that time and the unstated but fairly obvious implied message was that it was pretty poor energy planning to shut down a major baseload contributor without having reliable alternative generation in place. You should see what I have been called on the org over the years.

You need to check your facts ywindy.


it is not normally involved to a great extent in meeting normal customer demand, but is used to guarantee security of supply during seasonal peaks and the nonavailability of other plant.

It produced 3.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year (over 0.5% of the UK's CO2 footprint) so getting the label of the worst carbon efficient power station in the UK.

I say good riddance.

[newweecroft]

In a well ordered world, the replacement power station would be operational before the old one was closed down. The requirement to close Cockenzie under the Large Combustion Plant Directive has been known since October 2001. Planning consent for the replacement has not yet been sought. I would guess we won't have it for at least 4 years. I have ordered a generator from Amazon today.Are petrol generators not louder than wind energy generators? And an eye sore? I suspect infrasonic frequencies emited by the unit might disturb birds, subterranium mammals and worms. This could be detrimental to the local ecology and upsetting to neighbors.

[ducati]

Are petrol generators not louder than wind energy generators? And an eye sore? I suspect infrasonic frequencies emited by the unit might disturb birds, subterranium mammals and worms. This could be detrimental to the local ecology and upsetting to neighbors.

Anyone know that there is a vast network of diesel generators around the UK controlled by a central computer system, that can be individually or all sparked up at a moments notice in case of need? Quite old now, poss. a Cold War throwback I think but I know they updated the UNIX system a few years ago......

[ywindythesecond]

why not report the rest of the story in that there are plans to replace the old station with a new CGCT station?
Im sorry but im weary of all your single sided stories & arguments. I was interested in what you had to say until you called us all tossers and now with your selective posting and half-truths, the final nail is in the coffin.

You are on ignore now

Shaggy, I didn't call you a tosser. If you check back to the original post you will clearly see that I was referring specifically to the bunch of numpties who had done their best over the previous 27 posts to hijack the topic and stifle any debate, and you weren't one of them. I am happy to own up to mistakes, I make plenty of them but I don't deal in half-truths.

[ywindythesecond]

Are petrol generators not louder than wind energy generators? And an eye sore? I suspect infrasonic frequencies emited by the unit might disturb birds, subterranium mammals and worms. This could be detrimental to the local ecology and upsetting to neighbors.

Quite true newweecroft, but when you are shivering in the blackouts you will be jealous as get-out of my generator!

[ywindythesecond]

You need to check your facts ywindy.



It produced 3.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year (over 0.5% of the UK's CO2 footprint) so getting the label of the worst carbon efficient power station in the UK.

I say good riddance.

I agree that it is a major pollutor and should be shut down. But "but is used to guarantee security of supply during seasonal peaks and the nonavailability of other plant." is still baseload albeit seasonal or for major planned outages, and there is now no other plant available to do the job Cockenzie has done without compromising another aspect of energy security. Here is the current state of wind in Scotland:
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/7881/sat16marchpmwind.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/13/sat16marchpmwind.jpg/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
At 1.20 pm today, Scotland was importing 720MW from England.

[newweecroft]

No I'll use a wind power generator its better for the environment, it will recoup in green energy its embodied energy in a short time where as a petrol generator will just pollute for perpetuity.

I'll be honest, we too have two lpg generators for just such eventuality.