12 September 2007
A new £800 million gas turbine power station has been given the green light in Wales.
RWE npower has announced it has signed a deal with Alstom to construct the modern combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power station in Pembroke in west Wales.
It is hoped that building work on the project will commence in 2008, generating enough electricity to supply three million homes.
RWE npower also predicts the station would help to reduce annual CO2 emissions by six to ten million tonnes compared to a coal-fired power station.
Overall, the construction of the new power station will reduce RWE npower's CO2 emissions by one third from 2000 levels, the group reports.
Andrew Duff, Chief Executive of RWE npower said the opening of the new station was designed to coincide with the closure of ageing coal power stations at Didcot and Tilbury by 2015.
"These decisions, along with the £1.7bn investments we have announced, will put us on track to reduce the amount of CO2 we emit per unit of power generated by around 33% by 2015 compared to 2000, and by 50% compared to 1990 levels," he explained.
"In the longer term, energy companies need to look at a whole range of CO2 reducing options including much larger scale offshore wind, cleaner coal with the possibility of Carbon Capture and Storage, further modern gas plant and potentially new nuclear power," he added.
This announcement is the latest in a series of low-carbon power generation announcements this year from RWE npower, including a modern gas power station at Staythorpe in Nottinghamshire, four new onshore wind farms and a £190 million offshore wind farm at Rhyl Flats in north Wales.