An application by Drax to build a gas power station in Abergelli has been approved by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
The 299MW open cycle gas turbine (OCGT) power station, in southern Wales, will be able to go from cold to full load in less than 20 minutes.
The plant is expected to oeprated for around 1,500 hours a year.
Andy Koss, CEO Generation at Drax said: “Rapid response gas power stations are agile enough to ramp up quickly and support the grid at times of peak demand, making them highly complementary to intermittent renewable sources of power, like wind and solar. Flexible, reliable power stations like this are essential to provide the power Britain’s homes, businesses, transport and infrastructure need.”
The station will cost up to £90 million and take two years to build. Drax Power said it could be generating power as soon as 2022, but constriction depends on it securing a Capacity Market contract. The Capacity Market is currently suspended while teh Euroepan Commission re-examines its State Aid clearance and is also subject to a judicial review.
Further reading
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