Hull renewable energy power plant work to start

The Energy Works power plant is expected to be producing electricity by January 2018

Work is to start on a £200m power plant in Hull that will produce energy from waste.

The project's developers claim Energy Works will generate sufficient electricity to power 43,000 homes.

More than 240,000 tonnes of commercial and domestic waste a year will be turned into gas, which will then be burnt to generate electricity.

It will be located on an eight acre site by the banks of the River Hull in the Cleveland Street area of the city.

Building work is due to start in January, with the plant planned to be operational by January 2018.

'Green credentials'

Charlie Spencer, chairman of Energy Works (Hull) Ltd, described the scheme as a "pioneering development".

"We are very pleased to have assembled an impressive group of partners to fund and deliver Energy Works, enabling us to establish a facility with outstanding green credentials in our home city, which is becoming recognised as the UK's leading centre for renewable technologies," he said.

Mr Spencer said the plant would create 30 jobs once it was operational.

Almost £20m of funding came from a grant by the European Union. Other funding came from Bioenergy Infrastructure Group, a group made up of UK investors and US, German and Israeli investors.