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Centrica has announced that construction work is complete on its 20MW hydrogen-blend-ready gas-fired peaking plant in Worcestershire.
Work has seen eight containerised engines installed at the decommissioned power plant in Redditch.
The company has also carried out remediation works around the site and in an adjacent stream to improve the local environment as part of the construction process. The site is under final testing, with first generation likely by the middle of this month.
The plant is designed to support times of high or peak demand for electricity, operating when production from renewables can’t meet demand.
The engines will also be capable of burning a blend of natural gas and up to 25% hydrogen. Centrica claims this will “futureproof the site and support the UK’s transition towards a decarbonised energy system”.
Gregory McKenna, managing director at Centrica Business Solutions, said: “As we transition to a greener, more flexible grid system, gas-fired power plants like the one at Redditch will help meet the UK’s fluctuating energy needs by providing power to homes and communities when demand outweighs supply.
“We have ambitious plans to build out a portfolio of flexible assets which will play a critical role as the safety net for the grid.”
The Redditch peaking plant forms part of Centrica’s plans to invest up to £4 billion in renewable generation, security of supply, and its customers, including building out a portfolio of flexible energy assets.
That includes the redevelopment of several legacy-owned power stations, including the transformation of the former Brigg Power Station in Lincolnshire into a battery storage asset and the first plant in the UK to be part-fuelled by hydrogen.
Last year, Centrica also announced it is exploring options to develop green hydrogen via offshore wind, in a deal which the company is claiming to be an industry first.
Under an agreement with European green and renewable hydrogen producer Lhyfe, the companies will collaborate on a pilot green hydrogen production site in the Southern North Sea.
The deal will see the companies combine Lhyfe’s expertise on production and Centrica’s experience of gas storage and infrastructure to ensure that the hydrogen produced can be safely stored and utilised in the UK.
Centrica plans to use its Rough gas storage site to store the hydrogen produced via the project.
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