Npower’s UK£600m combined cycle gas turbine power station is one of the UK’s largest energy projects.  When operational in 2010, the power station will generate 1600MW. Sub-contractor Laing O’Rourke specified Lafarge ready-mix  for the power plant turbines, cooling system and ancillary office buildings.  Phoenix cement has been selected for its sustainable credentials; as a blend with a high pulverised fuel ash (PFA) content, it has a lower embodied CO2 value than standard bulk cements, reducing the environmental impact of the construction project and ultimately improving the credentials of the finished power station.  



A total of 60,000 cubic metres of concrete using 17,000t of Phoenix is being supplied by Lafarge Cement, predominantly from its Hope Works in Derbyshire.  Most of the ready-mix is batched at Cromwell Ready-mix, using a mobile batching plant which has been brought into the adjacent Cromwell Quarry to ensure a consistent supply of material throughout the two-year build process.  In total, 65,000 cubic metres of Lafarge Readymix will go into Staythorpe, with Lafarge due to complete delivery in October 2009.



Tom Griffiths of Lafarge noted: “When delivering such a massive project to a tight timeframe, being able to guarantee a consistent supply of high specification ready-mix and cope with fluctuations in demand is paramount.  On the biggest build days we have poured over 1280 cubic metres of concrete.