Plans approved for a gas-fired power station
UP TO 70 NEW JOBS COULD BE CREATED AS OLD PLANT IS SET TO REOPEN
SEVENTY jobs are set to be created at a former coal-fired power station as permission is granted for it to reopen using gas.
Eggborough Power Station, near Goole, closed in February after the plant’s owners said the site had “ceased to be economically viable to continue operations”.
The old coal-fired plant, which dates back to the 1970s, is now expected to reopen as a gas-fired power station, in a move which will also create up to 1,200 jobs during construction.
The news comes after the Energy Secretary, Greg Clark MP, granted development consent to Eggborough Power Ltd.
James Crankshaw, head of engineering at EPUKI, the energy company which has brought forward the plans, said: “We are delighted with the Secretary of State’s decision to grant consent.
“Eggborough has been a significant part of the UK energy landscape for more than 40 years and this consent provides an opportunity for the site to continue to play a key role in both the local economy and in the security of electricity supplies nationally.”
Once constructed, the gas-fired power station will have a gross output capacity of up to 2,500MW and be capable of supplying the electricity needs of more than two million homes.
In addition to three combined cycle gas turbine units, the new power station will include a gas-fired peaking plant of up to 299MW, capable of providing a rapid response to changes in demand and supply on the electricity transmission system.
A new underground gas pipeline will be constructed to connect the power station to the UK’S natural gas transmission network.
The old Eggborough Power Station had been at risk of closure since 2013, due to its age and the government policy on phasing out coal-fired generation by 2025.
Energy production at Eggborough was halted in March and hundreds of jobs were announced as being at risk due to the closure.
The new plans have been brought forward by EPUKI, the Czech-owned operator of South Humber Bank power station at Stallingborough, where a £53m overhaul has just been completed.
Construction of the new gas-powered station could start in mid-2019, it is not yet known when jobs at the new power station could be advertised.