Victorian canals bring 21st-century technology to new Carrington power station

International engineering company Alstom has taken advantage of the nearby Manchester Ship
Canal to bring the first gas turbine for the Carrington power station in to site.

The GT26 turbine, which weighs around 400 tonnes (roughly the same as 74 male African elephants or two Boeing 777-300 jets), was brought to site by barge and lifted into place by crane in order to help keep local roads as clear as possible.

Wolfgang Puschitz, Project Director at Alstom, said: Given the size of the turbines and the complexity of the operation it was clear that using the canal was the best way to both get it to site and also to ensure we didnt cause any traffic issues. It was also, of course, the most environmentally friendly way to get the turbines to site which was something that we will always try to achieve.

With a delivery of this size its always a complex job to get them in position, but the team on site did an excellent job and were hopeful that the local community were untroubled by our work on the day.

Alstom is working in partnership with DF Energy to build the 880 MW for Carrington Power Ltd. Once complete, in early 2016, it will be capable of producing enough electricity to power around a million homes.

The second turbine is expected to be delivered, also by barge, in February, with the delivery dependent on the weather.

Additionally, the company has been awarded a 12-year service agreement to maintain the equipment it supplied once it enters commercial operation. Around 600 people will be employed on site at the height of construction work.

Facts about the GT26: 

• The turbines are also fitted at the Langage, Staythorpe, Pembroke and Grain power stations;
• They generate around 10% of all the electricity produced in the UK;
• The gas exhaust temperature of a GT26 (616°C) is roughly equivalent to the initial point of explosion of a volcano (633°C);
• It takes a GT26 turbine just 81 hours to produce enough electricity to power the London Underground for a whole year; and
• A typical last stage turbine blade has a centrifugal pull of around 200 tonnes (equivalent to 130 family cars hung off it), and the tip is going faster than the speed of sound.

Press contact 

Jonathan Smith
Head of Media Relations, Alstom UK 
Tel 01788 545602 or 07801 775650
jonathan.smith@chq.alstom.com