New power station is part of move towards a low carbon economy

Hendry, who visited the proposed site last week said: "Gas plants like Willington will continue to be a central part in the country's energy mix as we make move towards a low carbon economy. "There is a also a major opportunity in the long-term for gas power stations like this to be fitted with abatement technology. This station will be built carbon capture ready, which means that eventually CO2 emissions from the plant could be captured and transported for storage offshore," the minister added. The plans are for a new power station comprising of up to four CCGT generating units, each around 500MW in capacity, and four open cycle gas turbine (OCGT) generating units with a combined capacity of 400MW – bringing a total capacity of up to 2400 MW. If built, the combined cycle gas turbine plant would take about three years to construct, and will be located on the site of the former Willington A and B power stations which closed in the 1990s.