£800m power plant on council agenda (From Western Telegraph)

£800m power plant on council agenda

9:22am Tuesday 4th March 2008 in News

A major step towards the creation of an £800m power station is due to be taken today (Tuesday).

Energy giant RWE npower has applied to MP John Hutton, Secretary of State for business, enterprise and regulatory reform, to build a 2000MW combined gas cycle turbine station at West Pennar, Pembroke.

The development would take place on the site of the old oil-fired Pembroke Power Station and is expected to take three years to complete and create work for about 1,100 contractors.

Pembrokeshire County Council's planning committee is meeting to discuss the application this morning.

But rather than deciding whether the application can proceed or not, the county council is a consultee in the process and has been asked whether it wants to raise any objection.

The report before members recommended that no objection should be raised.

If members agree, the Secretary of State is not obliged to hold a public inquiry.

However a public inquiry could be held if Mr Hutton felt concerns raised by other representations should be further examined.

As part of the development the county council wants RWE npower to enter into a section 106 agreement. This is where the applicant provides money and other benefits to minimise the impact of a development.

Pembrokeshire County Council has proposed that a police liaison officer should be based at the construction site, asked for cash to "fund research and development activity at the Energy Technium" and wants an air quality monitoring station to be set up.

Contributions towards road improvements, money to cover administration costs of the Milford Haven Waterway Environmental Surveillance Group and cash for costs incurred for emergency planning are also part of the 106 agreement.

Last year RWE npower announced that manufacturing company Alstom had been secured to build the power station.

Log on later for the council's decision.