The last coal train?

[Bald Rick]

The relative price of coal and natural gas determines where Ratcliffe sits in the merit order. Cheap coal, and it come on ahead of CCGT plant.

Its not just that. A few other factors:

* No need for future maintenance, so it is cheaper to run the coal unit(s) than put ‘miles on the clock’ of the gas units that will need maintenance.

* Ratcliffe will be burning stuff that has sat at the bottom of the stockpile for a long time. This will be low grade, but is ‘free’ (bought and paid for a long time ago) and therefore bringing in some new coal to mix / bulk it up helps.

* similarly it is possible (although i really dont know) that there is ‘spare‘ limestone in the Flue Gas Desulphurisation stockpile, and that it is cheaper to burn more coal than cart that away for disposal.

 

[Dan G]

Ratcliffe only runs to provide grid stability. Nothing to do with the clean spark spread etc

That's why it's never more than half a unit at part load.

 

[crosscity]

Ratcliffe only runs to provide grid stability. Nothing to do with the clean spark spread etc

That's why it's never more than half a unit at part load.

It's working, but only just! Have just seen 6M61 arrive with today's (Wed's) consignment.

Here's a photo I took of it.

01May2024. Ratcliffe Jct. 'Shed' Class 66 66787 (Ex 66184). [P1190092] by Ray Honke, on Flickr

 

[43066]

It's working, but only just! Have just seen 6M61 arrive with today's (Wed's) consignment.

Here's a photo I took of it.

01May2024. Ratcliffe Jct. 'Shed' Class 66 66787 (Ex 66184). [P1190092] by Ray Honke, on Flickr

As shown in the photo, the track quality of the curve into the power station complex from Ratcliffe junction is looking decidedly dodgy these days, even by MML standards!

It will be fascinating to see how the local area, and the local railway, develop over the next few years.

 

[Spartacus]

66789 making it's way to Ratcliffe today with what looks like a fully loaded 6M61.

Realtime Trains | 6M61 0827 Barnetby to Ratcliffe Ps Gbrf | 06/05/2024

Real-time train running information for 6M61 0827 departure from Barnetby to Ratcliffe Ps Gbrf on 06/05/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

It's working, but only just! Have just seen 6M61 arrive with today's (Wed's) consignment.

Its going out in style not bad for a 56 year old asset still able to deliver close to its full output (1.87GW vs 2GW design delivered in mid January 24). Ratcliffe also has the honours of delivering the most energy from any 500MW set in a year which was a late 1950s design. Presumably Uniper own the coal down at Immingham and worked out its cheaper to haul it upto Ratcliffe then charter a ship and take it somewhere else in the world. So be interesting to see how much longer they can run it but it will never achieve full load again as unit one has been stood down.

Edit this pic on Flickr taken a week ago shows how low coal stocks are

Countdown to Closure

66781 Darius Cheskin slowly draws 6M61 Immingham to Ratcliffe-on-Soar along A Road discharging its load of coal to replenish the depleted stocks to keep the station ticking over before closure occurs in September, one unit was put into preservation during April 2024.

www.flickr.com

 

[crosscity]

66789 making it's way to Ratcliffe today with what looks like a fully loaded 6M61.

Realtime Trains | 6M61 0827 Barnetby to Ratcliffe Ps Gbrf | 06/05/2024

Real-time train running information for 6M61 0827 departure from Barnetby to Ratcliffe Ps Gbrf on 06/05/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

It would be great if someone can confirm it's loaded. The path for the empties to be taken to Immingham for loading this morning was cancelled, and I can't see anything that ran in its place over the weekend.