ETI seeks proposals for a project to research England and Wales siting constraints for power plants

ETI seeks partners for a project to research England and Wales siting constraints for future power plant development

- Research project to define England and Wales siting constraints for new power plant development

- Project will map site capacity and identify characteristics to be considered for any build programme

- Proposals due to ETI by 11th April

The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) is seeking partners to undertake a research project which will define the siting constraints available in England and Wales for new power plant development.

The purpose of the project is to explore the range of opportunities and constraints involved in future site development. As existing power plants are retired due to inevitable ageing and policy requirements, the country will need to look at alternative energy generation options.

The Request for Proposals (RfP) issued today is part of the ETI’s technology strategy development work, which is looking at how to accelerate the development of new energy technologies for a UK transition to a low carbon economy.

The research project will investigate characteristics of site availability throughout England and Wales. When reviewing site suitability it will take into consideration a number of technology options – nuclear plant designs, thermal power stations and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) plants.

Mike Middleton, the ETI strategy manager responsible for the project, said: “Siting constraints for new build power generation plants will become increasingly important as the UK’s energy infrastructure ages and more and more power plants are retired. The potential constraints of the availability of suitable and potential sites for new generation plants needs to be understood fully. This project will increase this understanding, which we hope will help informed deployment decisions to be taken from a robust evidence base.”