RWE npower has submitted a planning application for a new state-of-the-art 2000MW combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power station at its Pembroke site. The new station would cost around £800 million to build and would take approximately three years to construct.

Pembroke Power Station would be a compact industrial facility located at its site near Pembroke that housed the previous oil-fired power station.  The power station would comprise five generating units, each around 400MW, with the combined ability to generate power for around three million homes.

RWE npower originally submitted a planning application in 2005 and we hope to receive planning permission in order to start preparations for construction in 2008.

In August 2007, RWE npower announced that a contract had been signed with engineering company Alstom to secure the potential construction of the power station. Having a contractor on board is a vital step towards ensuring that construction can go ahead should consent be granted.

The plans to build a new power station highlight our commitment to supporting Pembroke and the surrounding area and the new station would bring a number of long-term benefits.  Once operational, the plant would create up to 100 long term, high quality jobs and it is estimated that the new power station would bring a long term benefit to the local economy of around £10 million each year.

Modern gas fired power stations are clean and compact facilities.  Generating electricity from gas is more efficient than other fossil fuels and gas also contains less carbon than coal. These two factors result in gas fired power generation producing less than half the CO₂ emissions when compared to electricity generated from existing coal fired power stations.

A key part of our on-going development is to ensure that we fully understand the work we will need to do.  We have recently completed our investigation into the ground conditions deep below the Milford Haven waterway, along the proposed route of the gas supply pipeline for the power station. A 16 inch diameter hole, around 2km long, 30m below the seabed, drilled from a site on the North shore at Blackbridge, has provided valuable information about the type of rock to be found at this depth and this information will be used to finalise the design of the pipeline beneath the Milford Haven Waterway.