Tuesday 1 November 2011

General Electric to build Yorkshire power station

General Electric has been revealed as the firm who will provide the equipment for a new Yorkshire power station that was given the go-ahead yesterday by DECC.

The US firm will supply parts including the turbines and electrical power equipment for the 1,500 MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant, similar to npower's Staythorpe Power Station (pictured) which opened earlier this year.

Speaking exclusively to ELN, Michael Page, Director at Acorn Power Development UK, the small consultancy which put the planning application together for the American engineering giant, said: "It will be new, more up-to-date technology for gas turbines. It's likely to be the most efficient station in the UK with 60% efficiency."

Acorn Power were the only firm named by DECC in the project yesterday, but they have been the facilitators rather than the funders, according to Mr Page.

After Acorn Power identified Thorpe Marsh as a good location two and half years ago, because it was close to the National Grid and was the site of an old power station, "We talked to GE and they were interested," said Mr Page. Acorn Power then worked on getting the application to the stage it is now.

The next step is to find the required £984million financial backing, added Mr Page: "The investment will come from whoever owns the Thorpe Marsh Power Station Ltd when it's built. It could be anybody. We need to work with banks to see where the investment could come from."

Mr Page, who learnt his trade at aviation manufacturer Hawker Siddeley with his Acorn colleague Peter Wilcox, said that this conversation with the banks would take place over the next few months.