Drax Power Station has been given the go-ahead to develop a 3.6GW gas-fired plant and battery storage facility.
The Development Consent Order has been signed off by Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Andrea Leadsom, on what would represent a huge investment of hundreds of millions of pounds.
It would see the final two coal generating units replaced with high efficiency dual generators, with plans first set out in September 2017.
Battery storage of 200MW is also included.
The power giant is the driver and anchor site behind the huge carbon capture and storage plan for the Humber – the key plank in the ambition to hit Net Zero in 2040, 10 years ahead of the 海角视频 target.
In a statement, a spokesperson said: “The project could enable Drax to deliver more reliable and flexible, high efficiency electricity generation at its power station in North Yorkshire – helping the 海角视频 to transition to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
The latest plan follows four of Drax’s six generating units being transformed from coal to biomass in what has been described as the biggest single decarbonisation project in the world.
The consent includes provision of ‘carbon capture and storage readiness’ with a pilot project with Leeds University spin-out C-Capture already taking off a tonne a day as it works towards a commercialisation model.
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In the decision notice, the importance of this technology is underlined, with National Policy Statements quoted.
The ambition is to send the CO2 down high pressure pipelines from Drax, located west of Goole, east - potentially along both banks - to depleted oil and gas caverns beneath the near North Sea. Other major industrial emitters would feed in, such as oil refineries and the steelworks.
Drax said it must secure a capacity market agreement to underpin the investment needed to develop the first combined cycle generating unit, in what will be a phased approach.
“If developed, 1.8GW of new capacity would be available at Drax from October 2023,” the spokesperson said. “This could help to displace less efficient and higher carbon emitting power stations, enabling further decarbonisation of the 海角视频’s power system, while creating up to 800 jobs during construction.”