ScottishPower is planning to build a 1,000MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power station that will be developed alongside its existing gas-fired Damhead Creek plant at Kingsnorth Industrial Estate near Hoo.
The company hopes to submit a planning application under Section 36 of the Electricity Act to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) early this summer.
The new station - to be called Damhead Creek 2 - is estimated to cost approximately £500m and will more than double the output of electricity from the existing plant.
Nick Horler, chief executive of ScottishPower, said: 'There is an immediate need to invest in new generation plants in the UK as older power stations come towards the end of their operational lives. Damhead Creek has been operating since 2001 and is ideally located for an extended power plant.'
The proposals for the new station will also ensure that carbon-capture technology can be readily added to the plant.
In addition to doubling the power output, Damhead Creek 2 will also bring several key benefits to Medway, including 1,000 construction jobs as well as 50 permanent posts once the plant commences operation.
Significant contracts for local businesses are anticipated during the construction phase and ScottishPower estimates that about £27m will be spent annually on local services throughout the intended 25-year lifetime of Damhead Creek.
ScottishPower operates three gas-fired power stations in the UK. In addition to Damhead Creek, the company has power plants at Hoddeston, Hertfordshire and Southwick, West Sussex.
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