Charlotte Fernández
UKIMEA Press Office,Leeds
The UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has approved the Development Consent Order (DCO) for the Knottingley Power Project.
Arup has been leading the planning and consultation on behalf of Knottingley Power Ltd on the plans to develop a modern and efficient Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power station at the site of the former Oxiris Chemical works, east Knottingley, Yorkshire. The project includes the generation plant, grid and gas connections as part of the consented works.
The newly approved CCGT power station will provide a new source of affordable, secure and clean electricity. The combined cycle gas turbine plant will generate in the order of 1,500MW of electricity, enough to supply around 2 million homes, using natural gas.
Power stations that generate more than 50MW of electricity are defined as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, or NSIPs. The processes for consenting such projects is set out primarily in the Planning Act 2008, but it is Arup’s intimate knowledge of this approach that has added real value to the project and our client Knottingley Power Limited.
“This announcement of the DCO award is the culmination of four years’ work and we are delighted that the plans have now been approved. As the UK makes the transition to a low carbon economy, the use of cleaner, more efficient power generation and a balanced portfolio of generation technology, is a key way of reducing the country’s greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining secure electricity supply. We are pleased that our expertise in guiding Knottingley Power Ltd team to a successful project outcome makes a significant contribution to that continuing UK process. We now continue to expand our experience and work with other developers on complex energy projects delivering further success into this sector.
Peter Hulson, Associate Director and Leader of Arup's Energy Consents Business