Stag Energy want to build £25m gas ‘peaking plant’ in Newcastle

Scottish energy company, Stag Energy, have revealed plans for a £25m energy plant at the site of the former Lemington power station in Newcastle. They have said that the scheme is an important element of a transition to low carbon energy supply.

Sambar Power Limited, a subsidiary of Stag Energy, plan to turn the old power station into a gas peaking plant. The Edinburgh based firm have instructed Young Planning consultancy to conduct a scoping assessment prior to a full planning application, with a view to identifying potential environmental impacts.

The scoping opinion has been submitted to the council by Young, outlining the plans for the plant. They state that,

“Sambar Power Limited has identified an area of land in southern Lemington, Newcastle, as being suitable for a natural gas-fired reserve power generation facility operating as a gas peaking plant and associated infrastructure, as well as gas and electrical connection infrastructure comprising buried pipeline and cable, respectively.”

If it goes ahead, the new plant is planned to have stacks measuring 15m in height, eleven of them in total. At times of peak demand, the power plant would kick in providing up to 49.5MW of energy to the grid.

The company estimate that the plant would be operational for a maximum of 2,500 hours per year. This equates to less than 30% of the time, with the majority expected to be during early evening peak times and during the winter months.

Construction at the site is estimated to take between six to nine months from the point of planning approval. The plant would have a lifespan of 25 years of operation. Of course, starting construction will be subject not only to planning consent but also to Sambar Power securing the required finances for the project too.

Sambar Power told the Chronicle that,

“Lemington is an ideal location for this type of power project that will help strengthen the North East’s energy supply. It will provide essential back-up to intermittent energy that is generated from wind and solar energy. This type of power station, running at times of high demand, is important to support the country’s transition to a low carbon economy.”

The Lemington Power Station was a small coal fired power station located on the Lemington Gut, just over three miles to the west of Newcastle upon Tyne. When it was constructed in 1903, it had a generating capacity of just 970kW. All the electricity produced there was used locally to provide power to a small tram system and to local households and streets for lighting.

Just 10 years after it opened, the station was closed as an electricity generating location. However, the building was retained as a sub station for the tram line right up until that too closed in 1946.

Although the tall chimney of the building was demolished in 1949, along with the remaining buildings that used to be part of Tyne Iron Works, the main building was left standing. Now, it’s a locally listed building, retained as a shrine to the important role the local area played in the development of electricity.

At one point, Newcastle City Council were considering redeveloping it as a site for heritage tourism, but now it seems it may return to something more akin to its routes.