A biomass and waste-fuelled power plant has been given the go-ahead by the Government to be built on a disused site at Tilbury Docks, Essex.

Energy and climate change minister Lord Hunt said: “If we are to tackle climate change we must reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and also make use of renewable sources of fuel. This power station will achieve both those objectives by turning waste into energy and using biomass, which will also contribute to delivering the UK’s renewable energy targets.”

The plant will generate 60MW of electricity. Lord Hunt said it would create up to 380 jobs for the three year construction and employ up to 120 people once operational.