InterGen already successfully operates the existing 800MW Coryton gas-fired power station on the east side of Shell Haven Creek, approximately one kilometre east of the proposed Gateway Energy Centre site.

In the coming years, London Gateway is expected to become the most advanced deep-sea container port in the UK, capable of handling three and a half million cargo containers annually. The London Gateway Logistics Park will serve the Port and offer nine million square feet of advanced business space for distribution and manufacturing companies.  Information about the wider development of London Gateway can be found at www.londongateway.com.

The new £600 million Gateway Energy Centre development will be able to supply all of the necessary power for the Port and Logistics Park (up to 150MW) in addition to exporting enough electricity to the National Grid to power around one million homes. InterGen is also aiming to  supply waste heat from the proposed energy centre to local businesses including London Gateway.

In the UK over the next decade, a significant number of existing coal-fired and nuclear electricity generation power stations will close. The construction of the Gateway Energy Centre will help to ensure that this lost electricity production is replaced and to produce electricity when wind generation is low (e.g. because it is not windy).  The power station is being designed to be carbon capture ready such that when the carbon capture technology is proven on a large scale the equipment can be retrofitted to the site and up to 90% of CO2 captured.

“There is an immediate need to generate more electricity as older power stations are being closed down,” explained Gateway Energy Centre Project Manager Peter Lo. “The proposed Gateway Energy Centre site is ideally located on land already allocated for commercial and industrial use and is in close proximity to National Grid’s natural gas and electrical transmission systems. InterGen is delighted to propose this project and we look forward to building on the strong relationships already established with neighbouring businesses and the wider community.”

In addition to supplying electricity to around one million homes and to London Gateway’s Port and Logistics Park, Gateway Energy Centre will bring significant local benefits, including:

• Approximately 600 construction jobs during the peak construction period;
• Up to 60 permanent skilled, long-term, direct and indirect jobs will be created during the operational phase; and
• A variety of local supplier and service businesses will be used to support the project throughout construction and operations.