Company

 

The E.ON Benelux was founded in 2000 through the acquisition of a local public power utility. This acquisition comprised five gas-fired and two coal-fired stations in the area Rotterdam/Den Haag. The plants’ overall capacity amounts to 1.052 megawatts (MW). In 2005, E.ON Benelux took over another company with 250,000 consumers in the region of Eindhoven.

 

Power market

 

The Dutch power market is characterised by two important features: approx. 70 percent of the generated power originates from gas-fired power stations and approx. 25 percent of the overall consumption is imported. In 2005, the official energy report made it clear that new capacities are urgently required and the fuel of coal must be considered as serious alternative. Between 2005 and 2007, five power utilities published plans for coal-fired power stations, of which that of E.ON was the first.

 

Region

 

Maasvlakte is a large industrial area and part of the port of Rotterdam. It is located close to the North Sea, which is of great advantage in respect of the power station’s cooling water supply. Due to the ideal location, no cooling tower is required and the plants’ output is approx. 0.5 percent higher than that of power stations inland. Thanks to the deep water, large seagoing vessels have access to the coal terminal next to the site. These characteristics turn Maasvlakte into one of the preferred sites for coal-fired power stations worldwide.

 

Power station

 

The new coal-fired power station is known under the name Maasvlakte Power Plant 3 (MPP3). The new plant has a gross capacity of 1,100 MW, which may be compared to seven percent of the power consumption in the Netherlands. Construction started at the beginning of 2008. The plant will be ready for operation during the first half of the year 2012. As for the already existing plants, it will be possible to combust biomass in MPP3. In additon, the power station is equipped such that heat can be supplied to the industrial and residential areas in the region. A special feature is the MPP3’s "collection capacity". This means that measures have been taken to equip a plant for the collection of C0₂.