Premier Power Limited owns and operates Ballylumford Power Station, which is situated on the north western tip of Islandmagee in Co. Antrim, separated from the west, from the sea port of Larne Lough. It is one of the largest power stations on the island of Ireland and provides over 50% of Northern Irelands total generating capacity, and 17% of the all-Ireland capacity.
The Ballylumford site is steeped in history which all began in 1943 when the government commissioned and built the old 'A' Station. This coal fired plant helped to supply much needed electricity to a recovering Province after the Second World War. With advances in technology and design, the familiar 'B' station was constructed from 1968-1974 to meet the increasing demands of the Northern Ireland consumer and has an installed generating capacity of 1057 MW (inclusive of 2 emergency aero-derivative gas turbine generators burning distillate). This station, which is still fully operational today, is known by its distinct chimneys, which stand at a dominant 400feet in height. In 1997 the station converted from heavy fuel oil to natural gas, which is the cleanest fuel available for power production. This switch provided the necessary base load to justify the construction of the first natural gas pipeline to Northern Ireland form Scotland.
The year 2000 saw the beginning of the construction of Premier Power's new CCGT production plant. A new power station had not been constructed in the Province in over 25 years, which resulted in a huge gap in the differences in the technology used in Northern Ireland and in the United Kingdom, indeed the rest of the world. Investment in new technologies is an essential priority for all industries and power generation is no different. Premier Power is committed to developing and improving upon its operations and the company's £200million CCGT plant represents a huge technological step forward with benefits for consumers, businesses and the environment.
The combined Cycle Gas Turbine, with which Premier Power replaced three existing generating units, produces 600MW of electricity, over half the demand for the entire country and has revolutionised the province's power industry. It provides a more efficient use of fuel and consequently is more cost competitive and environmentally friendly. The station was officially opened by Prince Charles in September 2003 and has seen fantastic availability and efficiency rates ever since.
The CCGT was constructed on a brown field site adjacent to the original station, making full use of the existing infrastructure, including natural gas supply and on site electricity distribution facilities.
The CCGT system results in efficiency levels up to 75% greater than a conventional thermal power station. By producing significantly more electricity from the same amount of gas, a significant reduction in emissions of the gases that are natural by-products of the generation process can be seen - NOx (reduced by 45%), SOx (reduced by 65%), CO2 (reduced by 20%). The company endeavours at all times to balance environmental and social responsibilities, with obligations to maintain a constant and reliable electricity supply. The investment in the CCGT not only contributes to lower electricity costs in Northern Ireland, but also brings major environmental benefits to the people of Northern Ireland by significantly reducing the production of harmful emissions.
