Green Light Given for Two U.K. Power Plants

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The U.K. has granted planning permission for the construction of two gas-fired power stations with a combined generating capacity of just under 600 megawatts (MW).

The Planning Inspectorate has given the go-ahead for the Progress Power Station, located on the site of the old World War II Eye Airfield in Suffolk, England, and the Hirwaun gas-fired power station, located on the Hirwaun Industrial Estate in South Wales. Each plant will have nominal generating capacity of up to 299 MW, capable of generating enough power for about 400,000 homes.

The decision comes at a time when a number of the U.K.'s older oil and coal-fired plants are being shut down and the country's grid operator, National Grid, has warned that spare electricity capacity is at an all-time low. For additional information, see July 23, 2015, article - U.K. Risks Winter Blackouts as Power Stations Close.

Planning Inspectorate Chief Executive Simon Ridley said: "These applications for nationally significant infrastructure projects are the 40th and 41st to be examined by The Planning Inspectorate. The examinations were undertaken separately...and local people, the local authority and other interested parties were able to participate in the six-month-long examinations. This, together with the certainty of knowing when a decision will be made, provides confidence in the planning process and aids the infrastructure improvements this country needs to secure its energy and future economic growth."

Construction on the Progress Power Station will begin in 2017, subject to the raising of final finance, with commissioning scheduled for 2019. It will operate as a "peaking plant" to provide back-up to intermittent renewable electricity generation, becoming the first such plant to get the green light in England.

Chris McKerrow, project director at Progress Power, said: "We are delighted to have secured the government's approval for the project. The project helps to meet the government's energy policy objectives of security of supply and affordability and will support the country's transition to a low-carbon economy."

Hirwaun Power Station also will operate as a peaking plant, with commissioning expected in 2019.

"Securing the government's approval for the project is very good news for the Hirwaun team and the local economy," said Norman Campbell, project director at Hirwaun Power. "We would expect our £200 million ($312 million) scheme to provide a catalyst for further investment in the area."

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