About the Millbrook Power Station
About the
project
About Millbrook Power Station
Millbrook Power Limited (MPL), a subsidiary business of Drax Group, wishes to build a gas-fired power station in the Rookery South Pit near Stewartby, Bedfordshire.
Millbrook Power Station, once operational, could run up to a maximum of 1,500 hours in any given year. It will help support Great Britain’s energy security, providing back-up to other sources of electricity, including weather-dependent wind turbines and solar farms. The station will have the capacity to generate enough instant electricity to power 150,000 households.
The Project
The Millbrook Power Station project will comprise:
- A new Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) power peaking plant, also known as a Simple Cycle Gas Turbine, designed to provide up to 299 Megawatts (MW) of electricity.
- A new electrical connection (including underground cables) to export electricity from the plant to the National Grid Electricity Transmission System.
- A new underground gas pipeline connection to bring natural gas to the plant from the Gas National Transmission System, which is located approximately 1.8 km from the project site. This element incorporates an above ground installation (AGI) located off-site at the south-eastern end of the pipeline.
- In June 2019 an application was submitted to make changes to the Millbrook Gas Fired Generating Station Order, 2019, this application was submitted as work alongside National Grid identified that a gas insulated switchgear (GIS) substation would be more efficient, economical and smaller than the original proposal of an air insulated switchgear (AIG). This change did not fundamentally alter the proposals and Drax was granted a Non-Material Change order by the Secretary of State in April 2020 to amend the plans. As well as being more economical and efficient, the GIS substation will also result in a much smaller footprint. Moving to a GIS system means we are able to reduce the length of the substation by 100 metres and the width by 90 metres, allowing for additional planting of vegetation and removing the need for a temporary transmission tower.
Environment
Millbrook Power Station, once operational, could run up to a maximum of 1,500 hours in any given year. It will help support Great Britain’s energy security, providing back-up to other sources of electricity, including weather-dependent wind turbines and solar farms. The station will have the capacity to generate enough instant electricity to power 150,000 households.
Construction Progress
Construction/commissioning will last approximately 25 months in total, with the power station due to enter commercial operation by September 2024.
Contact us
If you have an enquiry regarding construction of the power station, please get in touch with the project team using the details below:
Email: MillbrookPower@secnewgate.co.uk
Tel: 01525 306270