Southampton-based apprenticeship provider SETA is celebrating after Marchwood Power Limited turned to them for a new trainee engineer.

Ryan Doran is part of the new in-take of young apprentices at SETA – Southampton Engineering Training Association – and is employed by the firm running the new £380m natural gas combined cycle power plant on the Marchwood Industrial Estate.

The 18-year-old from Alton is training to be an Electrical/Control & Instrumentation Engineer at the plant. He will spend his first year at SETA working towards an NVQ 2 and starting his BTEC Electrical/Electronics before going on site at the Power Station next year, where he will do an NVQ 3 on the job.

It is anticipated he will have to do a four-year apprenticeship, with a view to a permanent role at the power station.

Ryan, who has had county trials for rugby and athletics, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for me to learn and develop my Engineering skills and abilities at SETA and then put them to work at Marchwood.

“SETA is a great place to learn and I am picking up really important new skills and processes that will help me when I go and work on the site.”

Marchwood Power Limited generates enough electricity to supply the needs of nearly one million homes – equivalent to the combined energy needs of Southampton, the New Forest and Winchester.

The facility uses the latest technology to ensure maximum energy efficiency and minimal impact on the environment and is one of the most efficient generators of electricity in the UK.

David Hamlyn, training manager at Marchwood Power, said: “We are excited about this new relationship with SETA. We often need apprentices and the grounding they get at SETA stands them in good stead for working on the site.”

Richard Heighington, Chief Executive of SETA, said: “We are delighted that Marchwood Power has recognised the quality of the apprenticeship programmes we have here and become the latest big employer in the south to turn to us for their new engineering recruits.”

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Marchwood Power is the first large-scale gas-fired power plant to enter commercial operation in the UK since 2004. At its maximum output, the station generates enough electricity to supply around one million homes – the equivalent total needs of Southampton, the New Forest and Winchester.

Constructed over a three year period by Siemens, the project was delivered within budget. Marchwood Power currently employs 45 full-time staff and all of its output is contracted to SSE.

Lochlann Quinn, ESB Chairman and Lord Smith of Kelvin, Chairman of SSE officially opened the plant. They were joined by senior executives from both companies including Padraig McManus, Chief Executive of ESB and Graham Juggins, Chairman of Marchwood Power Ltd.

Graham Juggjns said: “Everyone involved in Marchwood Power’s development and construction must be congratulated. It is the first major gas-fired power station to be built in the UK since 2004 and, notably, came in on budget. In addition, the project benefits hugely from the close working relationship with representatives of the local community which was established during the development of the project.”

Padraig McManus, ESB Chief Executive, said: “The opening of Marchwood Power is a significant milestone in the expansion of ESB’s presence in the UK energy market. In addition, our wind generation interests and other gas-fired development projects place ESB on course to achieve its target of providing over 3GW of generation capacity in the UK within the next ten years. With the anticipated emergence of a single UK-Irish energy market over the next decade, our UK generation interests along with our established presence in Ireland will ensure that ESB is well-positioned to respond to the market challenges and opportunities that are likely to arise.”