E.ON has confirmed the date it will close Kingsnorth power station

by Alan McGuinness

Kingsnorth power station will close next March, putting more than 100 jobs at risk.

E.ON has confirmed a date for the closure of the plant after annoucing in 2010 it was abandoning plans to build the UK's first carbon capture and storage (CCS) plant at the site in Hoo.

The plant employs 123 full-time staff and hundreds more contractors.

At the time of the announcement in 2010, E.ON said it would do everything it could to find them jobs elsewhere in the company.

Under EU rules, the power station must close by 2015.

Dr Tony Cocker, chief executive of E.ON, said the company had not ruled out using power generation in the future.

He said: "Our announcement does not rule out future power generation on the site, which remains an excellent location for a new plant given its proximity to demand in the south east, but the original plans are no longer appropriate.

"I want to pay tribute to the thousands of men and women who have worked at the station over its lifetime, bringing light and warmth to the homes and businesses of the UK.

"We've been working hard with colleagues at the station to help, guide and support them through the process which will be ongoing until the station closes."

The company has also withdrawn its application for development consent for two new coal units, which would be fitted with CCS, at the site.

The GMB union called news of the closure "devastating".

Phil Whitehurst, GMB national lead officer for engineering construction, said: "The news of Kingsnorth Power station is closing nearly two years early, and before new capacity is developed, is absolutely devastating news to the local community who depend on the station for local employment and also the supply train will be severely hit."