I/S Vestkraft is the main power
supply company in the vest of Jutland. Vestkraft have six powerplants all over Jutland,
Herningværket, Måbjergværket, a gasfired plant in Ringkøbing and one in Skjern, Blok 2
and 3 who is situated in Esbjerg. Esbjerg is the biggest city in the vest of Jutland, and
the five biggest in Denmark.Blok 3 is four years old and coalfired. Blok 3 has a chimney there is 250 meters tall, so its the tallest building in Esbjerg or entire Denmark. The big white building is 73 meters high, and its there the turbine is placed, of course its also there the combustion chamber is placed. A turbine is a machine, who generates kinetic energy to electricity. The turbine on Blok 3 generates 382 MW of electric energy, that's enough energy to hold 500.000 single-family houses powered. The other buildings are laboratories, controlrooms and cleaning facilities. Specially the cleaning facility is very efficient, because it have the newest technology in the world. In the laboratories, they examine the smoke from the chimney, to see, how polluted the smoke is. In the controlroom they control the heat and the pressure of the steam, they can also see how much electricity the city needs. The plant delivers also district heating to Esbjerg, Fanø and Varde. Varde is about 18 kilometres north of Esbjerg and Blok 3, so the heated water is pump through pipes in high pressure, to hold the water warm. Blok 3 burns over 1 million tons of coal every year, the stock can hold about 1.5 million tons and 125,620 tons of oil. The coal comes to Esbjerg and Blok 3 with "Panmax-ships" (ships there can pass through the Panama Canal), every ship can have 40,000 tons of coal. The biggest delivery was on 46,144 tons of coal and arrived the 11 of August 1994.
In December 1994, Blok 3 received a praise, from the distinguished American scientific periodical "Electric Power International". The praise was given because, Blok 3 was the worlds most effective coalfired powerplant in 1994.
For two weeks ago, I was to open house (powerplant) at Blok 3, and I was amazed over how big, clean and effective the plant where. So now I have a better conscience next time I turn on my computer or television. (2/5-1996)