“Positive response” to Eggborough gas works transformation

THE Eggborough Power Limited team have completed a public consultation over plans to convert a coal-fired site at the power station to gas, with managing director Adam Booth saying they had received a “positive response”.

The Selby plant said when it announced the plans that the new site would have an output of around 2,000MW, capable of generating enough electricity to power 2m homes.

EPL said a new underground gas pipeline would be built to the north of the site to connect the power plant to the UK’s natural gas transmission network.

The consultation ran during September and the first half of October and included public exhibitions at East Cowick, Selby, Knottingley and at the Eggborough Sports and Social Club.

Adam Booth, managing director at EPL said: “We are very pleased with the level of interest that the local community has shown in the project. Many people attended the public exhibitions and the positive response we have received to our proposals has been extremely encouraging.

“We are now considering all the comments received before developing our proposals further ahead of the next stage of consultation early in the New Year.”

EPL will carry out the second stage of consultation on its proposals in January and February next year.

The company has a view to submitting an application to the Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy by early summer 2017.

Earlier this month Eggborough, along with Fiddler’s Ferry, were given £77m as part of the National Grid’s attempts to minimise the risk of blackouts this winter.