E.ON, National Grid start LNG pipeline link

London – A new pipeline has been officially opened that links E.ON’s £500m new gas-fired power station to National Grid’s Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal on the Isle of Grain in Kent.

The gas-fired Grain power station supplies heat via a heatpipe, which was officially opened today, to the neighbouring National Grid LNG terminal. This combined approach, claim the partners, means that the power station is now rated as one of the most efficient in the world.

Normally the LNG plant uses gas to heat the liquid gas from its chilled state back to its gaseous state so it can enter the network. But now with the heatpipe, the waste hot water from the power station can warm the liquid gas instead, which reduces the amount of gas the LNG plant would usually burn in this process.

The combined facility is now fully operational with hot water being supplied from the E.ON power station and the heat being utilised by National Grid at the LNG terminal to ensure vital gas supplies continue.

The heatpipe which can hold 5 million lites of water, comprises two pipes which are 4.5km kilometres long and 1200mm in diameter. There are 10 pumps that can move this water round the system in less than 12 minutes.

The supply pipe takes hot water from the power station over to Grain LNG at approximately 42°C where it warms the LNG, and another pipe returns the water - now chilled to15°C - to start the process all over again.

Speaking at the official opening of the heatpipe, UK energy and climate change secretary Ed Davey said: “Given our need to power our economy and reduce emissions, high efficiency gas fired energy has a key role to play.

“The cooperation between National Grid and E.ON is an excellent example of how one’s waste can benefit another and makes this gas fired power station one of the most efficient in the world.”

Dr. Tony Cocker, chief executive of E.ON UK, said: “The collaboration and engineering excellence shown since our investment was at the earliest planning stage has been hugely impressive and I must also pay tribute to our partners at National Grid for their role in this success.

“We are continuing to invest throughout the UK to maintain, improve, upgrade and replace the UK’s energy infrastructure and the development at Grain is just one example of this. In almost every corner of the country you can see first-hand the positive impact our investment is having, and will have, in the coming months and years.”

Steve Holliday, chief executive of National Grid said: “Innovation will be critical if we are going to meet the energy challenges ahead. Together, we have created the most efficient power generation and re-gasification plants in the UK.”