£150m green power station gets the go-ahead

A £150m green power plant in Newport, Wales, is to be built after Welsh Power sold half of the project to banking group Santander.

The Nevis biomass power station will be run using renewable fuel, and will be capable of supplying electricity to around 50,000 homes in the Newport area. It will be built on a 10-acre brownfield site in Newport docks.

Preferred contractor Doosan Power Systems is now expected to start building work next April or May, creating around 200 construction jobs. The plant’s commercial operations will begin in June 2014, creating 30 more jobs.

Alastair Fraser, chief executive officer of Welsh Power, called the involvement of Santander a “major advance” for the business.

“Having a company of the status and quality of Santander choosing to partner Welsh Power on the development of Nevis is excellent news,” he said.

The Nevis plant is designed to be ultra-efficient and will run on biomass fuels, primarily wood chips and energy crops.