Green light for Knottingley power station

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Green light for Knottingley power station

Ireland’s Electricity Supply Board has been given the final go-ahead to build a 1500MW combined cycle gas turbine power station at the site of the former Oxiris Chemical works in Knottingley, Yorkshire.

The application for the Knottingley power project has been given development consent by the Department for Energy & Climate Change, supporting the recommendation made by the Planning Inspectorate in December 2014.

The £750m project is being developed by Knottingley Power, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Electricity Supply Board (ESB), the state-owned electricity company in Ireland. Building the new power station is expected to create approximately 1,000 construction jobs.

ESB has been involved in the British energy market since the early 1990s as the developer and owner of Corby Power Ltd, one of the first independent power projects in the UK. ESB also developed the 842MW CCGT plant at Marchwood near Southampton, which began operating in 2009, and its 880MW CCGT plant at Carrington near Manchester is expected to enter commercial operation this year 2015.

Planning Inspectorate chief executive Simon Ridley said: “This is the 36th application for a nationally significant infrastructure project to be examined by The Planning Inspectorate. The examination, recommendation and decision have been within the statutory timescales laid down in the Planning Act 2008.

“Local people, the local authority and other interested parties were able to participate in the six month long examination. This, together with the certainty of knowing when a decision will be made, provides confidence in the planning process and aide the infrastructure improvements this country needs to secure its energy and future economic growth.”

Source: Construction Index

Link: http://tinyurl.com/ohfb379

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.