Plans for gas power station get go-ahead
PLANS to build a brand new £90m gas-fired power station in Swansea have been given the green light by planners.
The application for Abergelli Power Station, submitted by Drax Group plc, was referred to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for the final decision.
The decision to give it the go ahead was announced yesterday and could mean the new plant, which will be built on land at Abergelli Farm, south of Felindre, is up and running by 2022.
Once operational, the 299MW Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) power station will generate backup energy for the National Grid if renewable sources fail.
Proposals for the power station were first mooted in 2014 but the project was sidelined in 2015 due to market uncertainty.
Abergelli Power Limited (APL), a subsidiary business of Drax Group, revived the plans last year and submitted their application for consideration in May 2018.
The local community was given the opportunity to participate in a six-month-long examination of the plans.
Announcing the decision, Sarah Richards, chief executive of the Planning Inspectorate, said: “The Planning Inspectorate has again demonstrated its ability to examine Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) within time scales laid down in the Planning Act 2008.
“This provides developers and investors with the confidence to build and improve the infrastructure this country needs to secure future economic growth.”
It is expected the power station will run for up to an average of 1,500 hours a year, supplying around 150,000 homes.
Andy Koss, chief executive of Generation at Drax said: “Securing this approval from the Secretary of State (for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, BEIS) is a crucial step in ensuring development of the new gas generation the UK needs to provide flexible power and system support services to the electricity grid as part of the country’s transition to a low carbon economy.”