The UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has approved the construction of an 870MW gas-fired power station near Port Talbot in Wales.

The Abernedd Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Plant will be built at the Baglan Bay Energy Park, on the former site of a chemicals facility.

Energy Minister Charles Hendry said that gas is the cleanest and most reliable fossil fuel and it will continue to be a central part in the country’s energy mix during the transition to a low carbon economy.

“This station will be built carbon capture ready, which means that eventually, CO2 produced by the plant could be captured and transported for storage offshore,” Hendry said.