Kilroot power station
| Kilroot power station | |
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Kilroot power station in November 2006
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 Location of Kilroot power station in Northern Ireland
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| Country | Northern Ireland, UK |
| Location | Carrickfergus |
| Coordinates | 54°43′30″N 5°46′01″W / 54.725°N 5.767°WCoordinates: 54°43′30″N 5°46′01″W / 54.725°N 5.767°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | 1981 |
| Owner(s) | The AES Corporation (AES Kilroot Power Ltd.) |
| Operator(s) |
Northern Ireland Electricity (1981-1992) AES Corporation (1992-present) |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Coal |
| Secondary fuel | Oil |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity | 660 MW |
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Website www |
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Kilroot power station is a coal and oil power station on the north shore of Belfast Lough at Kilroot near Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland, UK. The station generates 520 megawatts (MW) of electricity from dual coal and oil fuelled generators, along with approximately 140 megawatts (MW) from four Gas Turbines and 10 MW of battery energy storage from the Kilroot Advancion Energy Storage Array. Since the privatisation of Northern Ireland Electricity in 1992, the power station has been owned by the AES Corporation. It is the only coal-fired power station operating in Northern Ireland, and produces one third of the country's electricity. It is also one of County Antrim's top 100 employers.
Kilroot power station was designed and built by Kennedy and Donkin, consultants for Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE), commencing in 1974. The Cleveland Bridge Company also worked on the construction of the station. The station was originally designed to use four 300 megawatt (MW) generating units. However, due to government spending restrictions in the early 1980s the project was truncated to two units. The station opened on 1 February 1981, when the first of the two generating unit went into operation. The plant was completed in 1982. The power station was originally fueled by only oil, as it was the lowest cost fuel at the time. But following a change in generating policies in Northern Ireland in 1985 following the increase in oil prices, it was decided the plant would be converted burn coal as well as oil. This conversion took place between 1986 and 1989, and the power station has burned almost exclusively only coal ever since.
The AES Corporation took over the station in a 50/50 partnership with Tractebel of Belgium in 1992 when NIE was privatised and sold its four power stations in Northern Ireland. Tractebel later sold their holding so that today Kilroot is solely run by AES.
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