AMP Clean Energy has secured planning permission for the first of 14 ‘Urban Reserve’ projects to provide flexible electricity generation in areas of high demand.

The facilities will use natural gas to ensure there is always a reliable supply of power in urban and commercial areas.

The programme aims to enable the transition to a low carbon economy – AMP Clean Energy plans to develop the 4MW Andover Business Park site in the first quarter of this year, now that it has received approval for construction.

SSE, the local network operator, is looking to procure flexible electricity from distributed generators in the region.

AMP Clean Energy plans to develop up to 50MW of low carbon plants across Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Greater London through 2019 to support the intermittency of renewables such as wind and solar, defer network reinforcement costs and support the growth of new decarbonising technologies.

Mark Tarry, Chief Financial Officer for AMP Clean Energy, said: “This is the first of many Urban Reserve projects in the pipeline to gain planning consent and a great start to the year.

“As demands on our electricity network grow, peaking plants are playing an increasing role in balancing the grid, supporting the future growth of renewables and enabling the UK to transition to a low carbon future.”