E.ON UK CHP owns and operates the combined heat and power interests of E.ON UK. We have invested over £480 million in schemes in the UK and we continue to be the market leader in the large-scale end of the CHP market. Our CHP schemes provide customers with more than 577MW of electricity and 948MW of heat.

Our customer base includes companies in the paper, chemical, tyre and oil refining sectors as well as two hospitals, a port facility and the City of London. We also operate some standalone plant.

In addition to our specialist CHP skills and experience, we have access to the wider power generation supply and gas trading resources of E.ON UK.

What is combined heat and power?

Combined heat and power (CHP), also known as cogeneration, is a technology in which both steam and electricity are produced simultaneously. A proven technology, it has been delivering economic and environmental benefits for several decades.

CHP is able to recover and make use of the heat which other forms of electricity generation simply waste. For instance, at our Kemsley site, up to 90% of the natural gas consumed in the CHP plant is converted into usable heat and power compared to the typical 38% efficiency of conventional power stations. Because of this extremely high efficiency, emissions of CO2 and oxides of nitrogen and sulphur are dramatically reduced - giving it a significant role in curbing global warming and atmospheric pollution.

The diagram demonstrates a simple CHP scheme which is typically made up of a gas turbine, waste heat recovery boiler and steam turbine.

Air is compressed and mixed with natural gas and burned in the gas turbine. Hot exhaust flows over turbine blades to induce electricity from an attached generator. Instead of being wasted through a chimney, the exhaust then heats water in the boiler producing high pressure steam which is put through the steam turbine producing more electricity. Finally, the remaining steam is sent on to be made use by the customer and is the reason for the very high energy efficiency.

CHP plants already generate more than 6% of the UK's total electricity needs and are set to generate substantially more in the future. By 2010, as part of its climate change strategy the Government expects the CHP capacity in the UK to increase to 10GW.