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UPDATE 2: RWE’s Littlebrook oil-fired power plant began the first of its mandatory monthly standby tests in the early hours of Friday morning, with output faltering in the final hours.
The tests are required of all three plants contracted by National Grid as part of its Supplemental Balancing Reserve (SBR) to ensure that reliable generation capacity is on standby in case the market is unable to bring forward enough power to meet the UK’s peak winter demand.
Data from National Grid on Friday morning showed Littlebrook’s maximum output availability at 570MW for the second unit which is contracted to National Grid under the SBR. But just under an hour and a half before the scheduled end of the test generation dipped unexpectedly.
A spokeswoman for RWE told Utility Week the capacity “shortfall” was not a trip. Although she declined to comment on the cause of the shortfall, RWE transparency data indicates the cause as being related to the plant’s boiler or heat recovery steam generator (HRSG).
A spokesman for National Grid added that the test was “broadly successful” and that RWE would not need to perform the November test again. It will be tested again in December when the next mandatory tests are to be carried out.
Although SSE’s Peterhead gas-fired power plant failed its initial proving-test last week, Littlebrook was not expected to face the same struggle given its recent use in the market.
Littlebrook contributed to normal grid balancing in late October before the SBR contract began 1 November and in light of its recent use the plant operator opted not to undertake a discretionary non-paid test.
By contrast, the Scotland-based Peterhead plant was used primarily for voltage control under a different contract with National Grid and chose to undertake a non-paid test in addition to its paid mandatory test this month.
Peterhead successfully completed the non-paid test but failed its first proving-test mid-month, forcing National Grid to call the plant up for a second test which it successfully completed on Thursday.
The third SBR plant, Scottish Power’s Ryehouse, passed its proving test earlier this month without incident.
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