Powergen is expected to apply for formal consent to build two new 800MW units at its Kingsnorth Station in Kent. The £1bn investment would create the UK’s first ‘super’ coal-fired power station that will try to curb carbon emissions.
Expected for completion in 2015, the two units would replace the station’s four existing units and operate at much higher levels of efficiency while producing fewer carbon emissions.
Powergen, which is the energy supplier branch of E.ON Germany, said the two new units would reduce carbon emissions by as much as 2m tonnes and produce enough electricity to power 1.5m homes.
The new units would also be built with carbon capture in mind so that if the technology became viable, emissions could be reduced to zero. The new-look station would also feature equipment to remove all sulphur dioxide emissions and enable the burning of biomass alongside coal.
Powergen to launch super station
