Drax has been granted a development consent order to build a 299MW open-cycle turbine at Abergelli Farm near Felindre in South Wales.
The power station will provide flexible backup generation to fill the gaps in renewable output. Drax said it is expected to run for no more than 1,500 hours per year on average.
Andy Koss, chief executive of the generation arm at Drax, said: “Securing this approval from the secretary of state is a crucial step in ensuring development of the new gas generation the UK needs to provide flexible power and system support services to the electricity grid as part of the country’s transition to a low carbon economy.
“Rapid response gas power stations are agile enough to ramp up quickly and support the grid at times of peak demand, making them highly complementary to intermittent renewable sources of power, like wind and solar.”
The power station will cost up to £90 million to build and could begin generating power as soon as 2022, subject to it securing an appropriate capacity market agreement.
Drax applied for the development consent order in 2018. In March, the company secured a planning permission for another 299MW gas turbine at Rookery South Pit in Bedfordshire.
The gas turbines were among four similar projects to be acquired by Drax in 2016.