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Hundreds of jobs promised as part of gas upgrade

Kate Moser Andon
BBC political reporter, Cambridgeshire
National Gas Three people wearing white hard hats and orange hi-vis overalls in front of large silver equipment that makes up the gas compressor. They are smiling and laughing.National Gas
It was expected the upgrades would take five years to complete

The industry minister said plans to build state-of-the art gas equipment in a city would create hundreds of jobs for local people.

On a visit to Peterborough, Sarah Jones said the city would be "at the heart" of multimillion-pound plans to build new gas turbine compressor sets, which provide gas to power stations and businesses.

National Gas, a company that transports gas, plans to install new equipment at its facility north-west of the city by 2030.

Jon Butterworth, chief executive at the firm, said: "This investment will allow our world-class gas national transmission system to maintain Great Britain's energy security."

Miles Davis/BBC Sarah Jones looking into the camera. She is inside a conference room with the background blurred out. She has shoulder-length blonde hair and has a pair of glasses on her head. She is wearing a black suit jacket.Miles Davis/BBC
Sarah Jones, the industry minister, said the investment would benefit local people

It also plans to install new equipment at sites in St Fergus, Aberdeenshire and Wormington, Gloucestershire, at a total cost of £350m.

Gas turbine compressor sets work by pressurising gas, which is then provided to power stations, industries and businesses using a network of 5,000 miles (8,000km) of pipes.

The new compressors can mix natural gas with hydrogen, which is cleaner, and are meant to emit less carbon than older equipment.

On a tour of Peterborough's compressor station, Jones said the current compressors being used were very old and needed replacing by skilled workers.

"We're talking hundreds of jobs that will be secured here in Peterborough," she said.

"I very much hope that people in Peterborough will be able to take advantage of this investment, these jobs, and the training and apprenticeships that will be delivered."

Jones insisted that the facility on Lincoln Road, between Glinton and Werrington, would be a positive thing for residents.

"I don't think there will be any increased traffic or any concerns with safety whatsoever," she said.

"I can reassure people on that - National Gas absolutely know what they are doing."

National Gas has confirmed 1,000 roles would be created across the three sites being given new equipment.

Neil Boyce, a Peterborough First councillor for Glinton and Castor, said: "We have yet to see details of the local element of this proposed scheme, so we need to have a better idea of what effect it might have on the infrastructure of nearby villages."

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