Emile Huchet power station
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Emile Huchet power station is an operating power station of at least 1527-megawatts (MW) in Saint-Avold, Forbach, Moselle, France with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Emile Huchet power station | Saint-Avold, Forbach, Moselle, France | 49.153262, 6.70146 (exact)[1] |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- 7, 8, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6: 49.153262, 6.70146
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Operating[2][3] | fossil gas: natural gas[3] | 440[2][3] | combined cycle[4] | not found | 2010[5] | – |
| 8 | Operating[2][3] | fossil gas: natural gas[3] | 440[2][3] | combined cycle[4] | not found | 2010[5] | – |
| Unit 4 | Retired | coal: waste coal | 125 | subcritical | – | 1958 | 2015 |
| Unit 5 | Retired | coal: lignite | 330 | subcritical | – | 1972 | 2015 |
| Unit 6, timepoint 1 | Operating | coal: lignite | 647 | subcritical | – | 1981 | 2027 (planned)[6] |
| Unit 6, timepoint 2 | Pre-construction[7][8][9][10] | fossil gas: natural gas[10] | 647[11] | steam turbine | – | 2027 (planned)[10] | – |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Total Direct Énergie [100%][12] | TotalEnergies SE [100.0%] |
| 8 | Total Direct Énergie [100%][12] | TotalEnergies SE [100.0%] |
| Unit 4 | Energetický a průmyslový holding AS [100%] | Energetický a průmyslový holding AS [100.0%] |
| Unit 5 | Energetický a průmyslový holding AS [100%] | Energetický a průmyslový holding AS [100.0%] |
| Unit 6, timepoint 1 | Energetický a průmyslový holding AS [100%] | Energetický a průmyslový holding AS [100.0%] |
| Unit 6, timepoint 2 | Energetický a průmyslový holding AS [100%] | Energetický a průmyslový holding AS [100.0%] |
Unit-level fuel conversion details:
Unit 6: Conversion in pre-construction phase from coal to fossil gas in 2027.
Background
The power station is in Saint-Avold, Moselle, France.[13] The power station originally consisted of six coal-fired units, commissioned from 1951 to 1981 and owned by Total Direct Energie.[14] The parent company is Total SA.[15] Units 1 and 2 were retired in 1983, and unit 3 retired in 2003.[16]
In 2015, E.ON reported that unit 4 (125 MW) was not operational and unit 5 (343 MW) mothballed.[17] Units 4 and 5 were closed permanently in 2015 due to the impact of the Industrial Emissions Directive.[18]
Only unit 6 (647 MW) remains operational of the first six coal units. E.ON is planning to run unit 6 until 2022. Additionally, E.On’s reorganization will move its fossil fuel assets into the new company Uniper starting in 2016.[18]
The power station also consists of two 413 MW combined cycle gas plants, which began operating in 2010.[17]
In July 2019, Czech EPH successfully concluded its buy-out of Uniper's activities in France, including the Emile-Huchet power station. EPH plans to retire the plant's coal unit in 2022, when France phases out coal power use.[19]
There are multiple reports of Total SA acquiring the power station.[20] In their 2019 Factbook, Total said the planned 2020 purchase was pending review of authorities.[21] In August of 2020 the European Commission announced the purchase of the plant (via EPH's subsidiary Kernaman SAS[22]) by Total had cleared review.[15][23]
In March 2022, the last coal-fired unit, Unit 6, was taken offline. The unit was considered to be retired. However, concerns over energy security in light of the war in Ukraine meant that there was a possibility that the plant would be brought back to life in the future.[24]
In November 2022, the French government approved the temporary recommissioning of Emile Huchet. The power station would run until March 2023.[25]
After March 2023, the coal-fired unit was shut down, but reports say that it is not a definitive retirement, and that the plant could likely be brought back online in the following winter. [26][27]
In August 2023, the French Energy Transition Ministry announced that Emile Huchet power station and Cordemais power station would be allowed to operate until the end of 2024. The ministry said the extension for the plants was to guarantee sufficient capacity was available over the coming winter.[28][29]
In September 2023, national grid operator RTE announced that they were considering keeping the Emile Huchet power station and Cordemais power station on standby to meet growing demand during the country's long-term energy transition.[30][31] French president Emmanuel Macron stated that the two power stations would be converted to run on biomass by 2027.[32]
Gas-fired Units 7 and 8
- Unit 7 is a gas-fired[33] combined cycle[33], 413 MW[34] unit which started up in 2010.[35][36]
- Unit 8 is a gas-fired[37] combined cycle[37], 413 MW unit[38] which started up in 2010.[35][36]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "Way: Centrale thermique Émile Huchet (32653217)". OpenStreetMap. 2023-10-03. Archived from the original on 2024-05-10. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20220809004600/https://odre.opendatasoft.com/explore/dataset/registre-national-installation-production-stockage-electricite-agrege/table/?disjunctive.epci&disjunctive.departement&disjunctive.region&disjunctive.filiere&disjunctive.combustible&disjunctive.combustiblessecondaires&disjunctive.technologie&disjunctive.regime&disjunctive.gestionnaire&sort=codeinseecommune. Archived from the original on 2022-08-09.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 https://web.archive.org/web/20221107230119/https://transparency.entsoe.eu/. Archived from the original on 2022-11-07.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20221022083705/https://data.open-power-system-data.org/conventional_power_plants/2018-12-20. Archived from the original on 2022-10-22.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240125091319/https://datasets.wri.org/dataset/globalpowerplantdatabase. Archived from the original on 2024-01-25.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "France to convert 1.8GW to biomass by 2027: Macron". www.argusmedia.com. 2023-09-25. Archived from the original on 2024-02-18. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
{{cite web}}: Text "Argus Media" ignored (help) - ↑ https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/grand-est/moselle/metz/energie-du-charbon-au-gaz-vert-une-revolution-attendue-a-la-centrale-electrique-de-saint-avold-3038837.html.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://energynews.pro/en/france-saint-avold-abandons-biomass-for-gas-fired-conversion/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://montelnews.com/news/755e6a81-c34f-4cec-bce5-05a80519772c/frances-gazelenergie-mulls-converting-coal-plant-to-gas.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 https://www.virgule.lu/granderegion/la-centrale-a-charbon-de-saint-avold-se-prepare-a-sa-reconversion-au-gaz/21217881.html.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.enerdata.net/publications/daily-energy-news/gazelenergie-will-convert-its-french-coal-fired-power-plant-gas.html.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 12.0 12.1 https://www.montelnews.com/news/1160012/total-rachte-les-units-%C3%A0-gaz-%C3%A9mile-huchet-7-et-8-828-mw.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Global Power Plant Database v.1.2.0, ID WRI1002724 World Resources Institute, June 2019
- ↑ "Total rachète les unités à gaz Émile-Huchet 7 et 8 (828 MW)". Montel (in français). Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Case M.9870 - TOTAL DIRECT ENERGIE / KERNAMAN, European Commission, Aug 17, 2020
- ↑ "Emile-Huchet Coal Power Plant France," GEO, accessed April 2016
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 "E.ON Facts and Figures," E.ON SE, March 11, 2015
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "G7 coal phase out: France," E3G, Sep 15, 2015
- ↑ "Uniper signs agreements to sell its generation business and distribution activities in France to EPH". Uniper. 2019-07-04. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Total to acquire 800 MW French gas assets in Sept – union Montel, Jul 31, 2020
- ↑ Factbook 2019, Total, July 2020
- ↑ EPH Annual Report 2019, EP Holding, Jun 12, 2020
- ↑ The EC clears Total's acquisition of the Emile Huchet CCGT plant (France), Enerdata, Aug 20, 2020
- ↑ Fermera? Fermera pas? La centrale à charbon de Saint-Avold toujours dans l'incertitude, L'essentiel, April 1, 2022
- ↑ France reboots coal-fired power plant to boost winter electricity supplies, RFI, November 29, 2022
- ↑ Saint-Avold : Après une saison de plus au charbon, la centrale Emile Huchet investit pour une énergie plus verte, Radio Melodie, April 25, 2023
- ↑ Saint-Avold : la centrale à charbon Emile Huchet est-elle définitivement à l’arrêt ?, La Semaine, June 26, 2023
- ↑ "France extends life of last coal-fired plants to avoid winter shortfalls," Euractiv, August 28, 2023
- ↑ "France Extends Coal Plant Waiver Into 2024 to Back Power Supply," BNN Bloomberg, August 24, 2023
- ↑ "France bets on coal to ensure power supply," RT, September 21, 2023
- ↑ "France May Have to Keep Coal-Power Plants for Security of Supply," Bloomberg, September 20, 2023
- ↑ "France to convert 1.8GW to biomass by 2027: Macron," Argus Media, September 25, 2023
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 ENTSO-E Transparency Platform, ID 17W100P100P00105 accessed November 2019
- ↑ ENTSO-E Transparency Platform, ID 17W100P100P00105 accessed October 2021
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 Open Power System Data December 2018
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 "Registre national des installations de production et de stockage d'électricité (au 31/01/2022) - data.gouv.fr". www.data.gouv.fr (in français). Retrieved 2022-05-23.
- ↑ 37.0 37.1 ENTSO-E Transparency Platform, ID 17W100P100P00113 accessed November 2019
- ↑ ENTSO-E Transparency Platform, ID 17W100P100P00113 accessed October 2021
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
