Construction of the new Ferrybridge Multifuel 2 (FM2) project in West Yorkshire is to begin later this year, following a decision by SSE to approve its funding.

The project was awarded planning consent by the Secretary of State in October 2015 and will be built next to the recently completed FM1 project, on land at Ferrybridge 'C' Power Station in Knottingley, West Yorkshire. The completed plant will be able to generate around 70MW of electricity, enough to power around 170,000 homes.

An EPC contract has now been signed with Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI), a Swiss headquartered company who are a market leader in building energy from waste projects, who were also the main EPC contractor on the neighbouring FM1 plant.

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FM2 is expected to bring similar benefits to the local area as FM1, including in excess of 500 construction jobs during the three year build, a number of contract opportunities and an estimated £10 million of additional economic benefits to the local economy, through spending in restaurants, hotels and local businesses.

Charlie Cryans, Head of Construction for SSE said: "SSE's decision to take the FM2 project through to construction is positive for our businesses, but also represents a £360 million investment, which will provide a range of benefits for the local area which we have a long association with. We will be holding a Meet the Buyer event in the coming weeks which will provide local businesses and suppliers with the opportunity to meet the main contractor for the project, and pitch their products and services."

Franz-Josef Mengede, CEO of HZI said: "We are delighted to be working with SSE to build the second Multifuel project at Ferrybridge. Our experience during the construction of the now operational FM1 plant will be invaluable in helping us to deliver this second plant and meet the high standards required by SSE."

(MH)