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Bury St Edmunds Sugar Factory power station

Gas power plant in Suffolk, United Kingdom. Approximate location 52.25567, 0.72592.

GasSuffolkUnited KingdomCCGT · HRSG

Bury St Edmunds Sugar Factory power station is a 77 MW gas power plant in Suffolk, United Kingdom. It is operated by British Sugar PLC [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 87k homes (estimated). It ranks #187 of 2,860 United Kingdom power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1999, it is around 27 years old — long-established. In context, gas supplies about 31.1% of United Kingdom's electricity; the national grid averages 217 gCO₂/kWh (64.4% low-carbon) (2025).

77MW installed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
86,724homes powered (est.)
1999commissioned (~27 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GOGPT_burystedmundssugarfact_united.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBury St Edmunds Sugar Factory power station GEM-GOGPT
CountryUnited Kingdom · Suffolk GEM-GOGPT
Coordinates52.25567, 0.72592 GEM-GOGPT
FuelGas GEM-GOGPT
MW installed capacity77 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000400730; operating plant capacity
OwnerBritish Sugar PLC [100%] GEM-GOGPT
Commissioned1999 GEM-GOGPT
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG GEM-GOGPT

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions121,414 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#187 / 2860 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#71 / 130 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.67× · 115 MW · n=130 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent86,724 calculated
Climate9.8°C · HDD 2,996 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 26/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000400730; fuel: GEM GOGPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 77 MW, Bury St Edmunds Sugar Factory power station is below the median gas plant in United Kingdom (115 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest gas plants in United Kingdom

Grangemouth (GBTron) power station: 2,400 MW2kGrangemout…Pembroke: 2,305 MW2kPembrokeFerrybridge-C power station: 2,300 MW2kFerrybridg…Walpole power station: 2,000 MW2kWalpole po…King's Lynn-B power station: 1,999 MW2kKing's Lyn…Staythorpe C: 1,772 MW2kStaythorpe…Tees Combined-Cycle Power Plant: 1,700 MW2kTees Combi…Thorpe Marsh power station: 1,576 MW2kThorpe Mar…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by British Sugar PLC [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 52.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.8°Cannual mean temp
2,996heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
59 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 4 °CJF: 4 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 11 °CMJ: 14 °CJJ: 17 °CJA: 17 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 10 °CON: 7 °CND: 5 °CD17 °C

Heating degree-days here run 22% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 62/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
26/100environmental-severity index
12.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
51 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #71 largest gas power plant of 130 in United Kingdom by capacity.

United Kingdom has 130 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 52,329 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 52.25567, 0.72592 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Bury St Edmunds Sugar Factory power station?

Bury St Edmunds Sugar Factory power station is a 77 MW gas power plant in Suffolk, United Kingdom, commissioned in 1999.

How many homes can Bury St Edmunds Sugar Factory power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 86,724 homes (estimated).

Who operates Bury St Edmunds Sugar Factory power station?

Bury St Edmunds Sugar Factory power station is operated by British Sugar PLC [100%].

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