The gas pipeline is the first RWE Generation project to be consented under the planning Act 2008 which was introduced to streamline the decision making process for nationally significant infrastructure projects.
It is also the first pipeline to be granted development consent by the planning inspectorate RWE said.
The development consent was submitted in July 2013 by RWE.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change granted consent in March 2011 for the phased construction of up to 2000MW of Combined Cycle Gas Turbine plant and 400MW of Open Gas Turbine plant at Willington.
RWE Generation UK’s head of business development, Steve Boughton said: “Gaining this consent is testament to the hard work and dedication of the expertise in our development team.
“The market conditions for gas-fired generation in the UK remain very challenging. Against this backdrop, we continue to review the timings for future development options throughout our portfolio.”