Graduate job hope over plant plans - graduate jobs

More graduate jobs could be in the offing in the not-too-distant future after the Government approved another gas-fired power station in the UK.

Permission to build the £600 million power plant in Essex means the total new gas capacity given the green light since the coalition came to power now stands at almost 5.5 gigawatts, which is enough to power more than seven million homes.

Made up of two power-generating units, the 900-megawatt plant was devised by InterGen at the London Gateway Logistics Park, Coryton, Essex, and will take three years to construct.

The Department of Energy confirmed that approximately 600 jobs will be created while the plant is being built, with proposals for 11 skilled apprenticeships, training and vocational facilities and community involvement.

Energy Minister Charles Hendry said: "With a quarter of our electricity-generating capacity shutting down over the next ten years as older plants close, new power stations like Coryton will play a crucial part in the country's energy mix as we make a move towards a low-carbon economy.

"There is also a major opportunity in the long-term for gas power stations like this to be fitted with abatement technology.

"This station will be built carbon-capture ready, which means that eventually CO2 emissions from the plant could be captured and transported for storage offshore."

Copyright Press Association 2011