View source for Langage Power Station

{{Short description|Combined-cycle power plant}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2020}}
{{use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox power station
| name = Langage Power Station
| image = Langage Power Station.jpg
| image_caption = Picture of power station on 1 March 2009
| name_official = Langage Power Station
| coordinates = {{coord|50.3884|-4.01173|region:GB_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| country = [[England]]
| location = [[Devon]], [[South West England]]
| status = Operational
| cost = 
| owner = 
| operator = EP UK Investments
| employees = 
| th_fuel_primary = [[Natural gas]]
| th_technology = CCGT
| ps_chimneys = 2
| ps_cooling_source = Air cooled heat exchanger
| ps_units_operational = 2
| ps_units_manu_model = Alstom GT26 gas turbines, STF30C steam turbine
| ps_electrical_capacity = 885 MW
| ps_electrical_cap_fac = 
| ps_annual_generation = 
| website = https://www.epuki.co.uk/
| construction_began = 
| commissioned = 2010<ref name=pei-20110601 />
| extra = {{gbmapping|SX572563}}
}}
'''Langage Power Station''' is a [[Combined cycle|combined-cycle power plant]] near the city of [[Plymouth]] in [[Devon]], England.

[[Centrica]], the original owners of the site, announced on 16 June 2006 that the [[natural gas]] fired [[power station]] was to be constructed on their behalf by [[Alstom]]. Section 36 consent was granted in 2000 and Reserved Matters were approved in 2005. The 885&nbsp;[[Megawatt|MW]] plant was expected to cost [[Pound sterling|£]]400 million and to start generating in early 2009, but problems with internal pipework pushed this back.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7928638.stm
|title=True cost of power station delay
|publisher=BBC News
|accessdate=2009-06-30
|last=Gallacher
|first=Neil
| date=2009-03-06}}</ref> The power station was completed and operations started in March 2010.

Langage was set to be the first [[fossil fuel power station]] built in the UK since 2005, but due to delays it was preceded by [[Marchwood Power Station]], which was commissioned in 2009. Multiple other [[combined cycle gas turbine|CCGT]] stations were also commissioned around this time, including [[Pembroke Power Station]] and [[West Burton Power Station|West Burton B]]. The station was commissioned against an expected '[[Electricity_sector_in_the_United_Kingdom#UK_'energy_gap'|energy gap]]' in UK generating capacity, caused by the expected closure of [[Nuclear power|nuclear]] and older coal-fired stations.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/5085972.stm |title= Power plant gets go-ahead at last|accessdate=2008-04-26 |work=The [[BBC]] | date=2006-06-16}}</ref>

The power station had permission to build three gas-powered turbines when it bought the site in 2004, but due to land constraints they were only able to build two.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/UK_SMALLCAPSRPT/idUKL136529720071113|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090322144121/http://uk.reuters.com/article/UK_SMALLCAPSRPT/idUKL136529720071113|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 March 2009|title=UK's Langage power plant open early 2009 -Centrica|date=2007-11-13|publisher=Reuters UK|accessdate=2009-02-17|first=Daniel|last=Fineren}}</ref>

The plant uses two [[Alstom]] GT26 [[gas turbine]]s, each driving an air-cooled [[turbogenerator]], with a [[heat recovery steam generator]] powering a single STF30C [[steam turbine]] which also drives another air-cooled turbogenerator.<ref name=pei-20110601>{{cite news |url=http://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/print/volume-18/issue-6/features/not-only-big-but-also-beautiful.html|title=Not only big but also beautiful|author=Lee Dawes|publisher=Power Engineering International|date=1 June 2010|accessdate=23 December 2011}}</ref>

[[Centrica]] put the plant up for sale in May 2014,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Plymouth-power-station-sale-500m-package/story-21074968-detail/story.html?dwrMeth=addComment&afterReg=Y|title=Plymouth Langage power station put on sale in £500m package|work=Plymouth Herald|date=8 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140612122454/http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Plymouth-power-station-sale-500m-package/story-21074968-detail/story.html|archive-date=12 June 2014}}</ref> stating an aim to invest in smaller, more flexible power stations. On 21 June 2017, Centrica agreed to sell the power station to EP UK Investments as part of a deal that also saw [[South Humber Bank Power Station|South Humber Bank CCGT power station]] change hands between the two companies. EP UK Investments is the daughter company of EP Power Europe, which is 100% owned by [[Czech Republic|Czech]] energy group [[Energetický a průmyslový holding|EPH]] (owned by [[Daniel Křetínský]]). 

The UK high pressure national gas pipeline network (the [[National Transmission System]]) was extended to Plymouth in 1989 (Feeder No.20 terminates at an Above Ground Installation (AGI) south of [[Smithaleigh]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1H3qFrNgSMKHjl7wIvEMwoWhbD6I&hl=en_US&ll=54.32687771410233%2C-0.61519577012632&z=6|title=NTS Maps|website=NTS Maps|access-date=12 February 2020}}</ref> Langage Power Station was built to exploit the availability of high pressure gas and the station now represents the southernmost gas-fired station on the network.

==See also==
{{Portal|England|Energy}}
*[[Energy policy of the United Kingdom]]
*[[Energy use and conservation in the United Kingdom]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{South West powerstations}}

[[Category:Natural gas-fired power stations in England]]
[[Category:Power stations in South West England]]
[[Category:Energetický a průmyslový holding]]


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