Proposal for rapid response power station

Millbrook Power is a Drax Group project to build and operate a rapid response gas-fired power station on land located on the Rookery South Pit, near the villages of Stewartby, Millbrook and Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire.

The project received planning consent on 13 March 2019. Millbrook Power Station could run up to a maximum of 2,250 hours in any given year, provided that the five-year rolling average does not exceed 1,500 hours. It will provide back-up to other sources of electricity, including weather-dependent renewable and low carbon technologies such as wind turbines and solar farms.

About Millbrook Power

The power generation plant is situated within Rookery South Pit. Millbrook Power plant  has the capacity to generate up to 299 MW, providing enough instant electricity to power 150,000 households. It will operate as a ‘peaking plant’ generating electricity at times when the country’s need is greatest.

Under the ownership of Drax Group, an application for a Development Consent Order was granted in March 2019 with construction commencing in Quarter 1 2023. A two-year construction window and a further 6 months commissioning saw the power station move into operation late 2025.

  •  The power station comprises of an Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) which is a power peaking plant, also known as a Simple Cycle Gas Turbine, designed to provide up to 299 Megawatts (MW) of electricity. The plant could run up to a maximum of 2,250 hours in any given year, provided that the five-year rolling average does not exceed 1,500 hours.
  • Millbrook Power exports electricity from the plant to the National Grid Electricity Transmission System. This plant is used as a rapid response facility to provide flexible generation to the UK system when supply is low or demand is high.

Complaints procedure

To raise your concern you can contact us by telephone or email:

Phone: 0191 205 9250

Email: [email protected]

If you make a complaint, we will:

  • respond quickly to the issue by sending a team to review and mitigate as soon as possible
  • Look at engineering solutions to ensure a permanent solution is found
  • Record data for reporting purposes