This document discusses Wyre Energy's proposal for a compressed air energy storage facility in the Preesall Salt Field in the Fleetwood region using the caverns left over from decades of salt mining. The proposal involves using compressed air stored in the underground caverns to generate electricity during periods of high demand. If fully built out, the facility could include 16 caverns capable of producing over 1528 GWh of energy storage per cavern annually. The total estimated cost is £229 million and the project could become profitable within 10 years of operation. Compressed air energy storage is presented as a viable and necessary technology for energy storage to support increasing renewable energy on the UK grid.

1. Energy Storage in the
Fleetwood Region
Preesall Salt Cavern Energy Storage Potential
20/08/2013

2. Presentation Outline
 Introduction
 Wyre Energy Ltd
 Compressed Air Energy Storage
 CAES Examples
 ADELE Adiabatic Project
 Huntorf CAES Plant
 McIntosh CAES Plant
 Preesall Salt Field
 Failed Proposals for Preesall
 Wyre Energy Proposal
 Conclusion
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 2

3. Introduction
 Government plan to introduce many Gigawatts of
renewable power generation to the national grid by
2030.
 These renewable technologies are highly volatile and,
with the exception of tidal power, are virtually
unpredictable.
 The problem is that power is often generated when not
required, and vice versa.
 Only storage in the UK is Dinorwigg Hydro Pumped
Storage System.
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 3

4. DREAMS Ltd
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 4

5. Current Compressed-Air
Energy Storage (CAES) Technology
 When power is abundant, it’s drawn from the grid to
compress air into an underground geological structure.
 The air temperature rapidly increases in proportion with
the gas laws and hence it must be cooled before entering
the ground.
 When demand is high (peak load times), the stored air
is released back to the surface where it is heated and
expanded.
 In contrast, the decrease in pressure cools the air and
hence this must be heated before it enters the turbine.
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 5

6. Current Compressed-Air
Energy Storage (CAES) Technology
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 6

7. ADELE Adiabatic
Storage Project
 Problem:
 Temperature of the air following compression vastly increases, up
to around 600°C which must be dissipated.
 Conversely, thermal energy is lost following air expansion and
hence air must absorb heat before entering the turbine.
 RWE Power, General Electric, Züblin and DLR are currently
researching possible ways to absorb, store and then reuse the
thermal energy in the compressed air.
 They are proposing highly insulated thermal towers made up
stone, gravel and ceramics through which the newly compressed
air will travel, exchanging its thermal energy.
 Before the air from the ground passes into the turbine, it will pass
through this tower absorbing some of the thermal energy, in a pre-
heat operation.
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 7

8. ADELE Adiabatic
Storage Project
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 8

9. ADELE Adiabatic
Storage Project
 Estimated to increase efficiency up to 70%.
 Take the compressed air at 600°C and store the
thermal energy in towers up to 40m high.
 Now delayed pilot plant to be built capable of:
 Storing – 360MWh
 Generating – 360MW electricity
 The equivalent to 50 ultra-modern wind turbines spinning for
4 hours.
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 9

10. Huntorf CAES Plant
 Built in 1978 in Huntorf, Germany as the first CAES
plant worldwide.
 Paired with a Nuclear plant and conventional Natural
Gas Turbine plant.
 Compressed air from cavern mixed with natural gas
and expanded through a turbine to produce electricity.
 One cavern operates diurnally while the other is a
‘Black start asset’, providing protection for a shut-down
of the Nuclear plant.
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 10

11. Huntorf CAES Plant
 Facts and Figures
 Cavern volumes:
 ≈ 140,000m3
 ≈ 170,000m3
 Total ≈ 310,000m3
 Cavern Depth
 Top – 650m
 Bottom – 800m
 Air Flow Rates
 Turbine – 417 kg/s (Comparatively quick)
 Compressor – 108 kg/s
 Pressure
 Operational Pressure – 70 Bar
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 11

12. Huntorf CAES Plant
 Facts and Figures
 Power output
 Power – 321,000kW
 Duration – 3 hours
 Energy Output – 963,000kWh
 Cycle efficiency
 46%
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 12

13. McIntosh CAES Plant
 Built in 1992 in McIntosh, Alabama.
 Part of a factory consisting of two conventional gas
turbines.
 Start-up time of 14 minutes when first built.
 Dresser-rand now boast 10 minutes to full power
generation (5 minutes in emergency) and only 4 minutes
to full compression operation.
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 13

14. McIntosh CAES Plant
 Facts and Figures
 Cavern volume:
 ≈ 580,000m3
 Cavern Depth
 Top – 450m
 Bottom – 750m
 Pressure
 Operational Pressure – 70 Bar
 Cost
 1991 - $65million = £43million
 Today ≈ $108million = £71million
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 14

15. McIntosh CAES Plant
 Facts and Figures
 Power Output
 Power – 110MW
 Duration – 26 hours
 Energy Output – 2,860,000kWh
 Cycle Efficiency
 54%
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 15

16. Preesall Salt Field
 Production began as a result of the British Army’s
exploration for water sources.
 As a result of the discovery, exploration wells were
sunk, with production beginning around the 1890’s
continuing for the next 100 years.
 Over 130 wells produced up to 3,500 tonnes of salt a
week in 1900, peaking at 140,000 tonnes in 1906,
making it the biggest salt producer in Britain.
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 16

17. Failed Wyre CAES
Applications
 Cantaxx
 Lancashire County Council rejected enquires in 2003,
2004 and 2008.
 Opposition from local residents
 Unsatisfactory geological surveys, failing to prove the area
was suitable for high-pressure storage.
 Halite Energy Group (Cantaxx Ancestor).
 Further rejection in April, 2013 despite recommendation
of approval by the examining authority, the Planning
Inspectorate.
 Appeal currently underway.
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 17

18. Cantaxx/Halite Proposal
 Construct 19 caverns of varying sizes via a leaching
process
 Total Volume of caverns:
 14,580,917m3
 Gas Capacity:
 Storage capacity: 900,000,000m3
 Working capacity: 600,000,000m3
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 18

19. Wyre Energy’s
CAES Solution
• Due to the strong opposition from the public and
unsatisfactory geological surveys from Halite, Wyre Energy
plans to use compressed air as a means of energy storage,
CAES.
• This means there will not be a 1 million tonne gas bomb
stored underground, such that we will gain support of local
residents
• A feasibility study will be conducted, which will concentrate
on the geological study.
• This means of energy storage will provide clean, renewable
energy.
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 19

20. Turbo-Expander Generators
 Atlas Copco
 Manufacturer of Turboexpander-Generators (TEG’s).
 Provided two TEG trains to Turkish energy company
Celikler Jeotermal Elektrik Uretim A.S, capable of
producing 45MW of clean energy in a Binary Geothermal
Plant.
 Currently analysing data provided by Wyre Energy Ltd in
order to determine available power from such a turbine.
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 20

21. Energy figures
 Average volume of the 19 caverns: 0.767 Mm3
 Installed capacity per cavern: ~ 2990 MW
 Load factor: 70%
 Averaging at 2 hours peak generating per day, 365 days
per year
 Annual output per cavern: ~ 1528 GWh
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 21

22. Expenditure Figures
 Cost of feasibility study –
 Cost of planning –
 Construction of 16 caverns over a
14 year period –
 Total Cost of installation –
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 22
£1,000,000
£4,000,000
£224,000,000
£229,000,000

23. Profit Figures
 Year 4 –
 Year 10 –
 Year 20 –
 Year 30 –
 Year 40 –
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 23
£95,930,321
£306,414,213
£970,776,365
£1,308,511,317
£1,762,398,851

24. Conclusions
 Energy storage is becoming a necessity for the United
Kingdom.
 Compressed air energy storage is being heavily
researched and will play a vital role in the energy
makeup of the grid in future years to come.
 Wyre Energy Ltd are proposing Compressed Air
Energy Storage with production capabilities of
1528GWh per cavern installed, at a cost of
£229,000,000.
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 24

25. Thank you
20/08/2013Wyre Energy Ltd - Preesall Salt Field CAES Proposal 25