A refurbished power station can generate enough electricity to supply the equivalent of every home in Norfolk.

Centrica has invested £100m in its plant in King's Lynn, fitting a new gas turbine and other upgrades.

The station, on the Willows Business Park at Saddlebow, will have an expected working life of 15 years and employ 30 staff.

Centrica said the plant, which is now operational, can produce enough power to meet the needs of 400,000 households, almost all the homes in Norfolk.

It will provide a back-up to renewable energy sources, kicking in to top up supplies when lack of wind stops offshore turbines turning.

Centrica's managing director Jorge Pikunic said: "I'd like to congratulate everyone involved with the King's Lynn project. This is an excellent example of our team's ability to deliver complex engineering projects with high quality results.

"The speed and flexibility of King's Lynn supports the transition to a renewable led energy system, helping balance the grid during gaps in generation caused by the intermittency of renewables. It does so as efficiently as possible which is vital as we transition to a low carbon energy system."

Site manager Adam Kennard said: "Commissioning is the final milestone in the completion of a project, so it's a great achievement for the team. We are very pleased with the technical performance of the plant which has exceeded design targets."

Work is expected to start next year on a much larger power station next door to Centrica's plant.

EPUKI has been given permission for a new gas-powered plant which will generate enough power to supply 2m homes.

The firm says it will create 600 construction jobs during the building phase, which is expected to start in 2020 and 40 permanent positions.

Artist's impressions show the scale of the building, which will be visible from miles around the site. It was given the go-ahead despite fears over its impact on the landscape.

MORE - see artist's impressions of giant new power station.