Under the contract, Siemens will provide 50Hertz version of its SGT-9000HL gas turbine for the power plant.

SSE plans to invest £350m in the construction of the new power station, which is expected to have 63% power generation efficiency.

Additionally, Siemens signed a 15-year long-term service contract for the project, marking the first long-term program (LTP) for an HL-class gas turbine in Europe, the company said.

In order to help maintain the availability, reliability and optimal performance of the power plant, Siemens intends to will utilize its advanced digital service solutions, including remote monitoring and diagnostics.

SSE wholesale director Martin Pibworth said: “SSE is very pleased to have this unique opportunity now to be partner with Siemens to build a new state-of-the-art gas-fired power station at Keadby 2.

“Its highly efficient technology, not previously seen in the UK, will provide firm, reliable power from the early 2020s at half the carbon emissions of the coal generation it is replacing.

“New CCGT complements SSE’s ambitions to develop more offshore and onshore wind as CCGTs remain well-placed to provide flexible, grid-scale back up to complement the large volumes of renewables the UK needs to meet its low carbon targets.”

Construction of the Keadby 2 project is scheduled to commence this summer with completion scheduled in 2022. It will be SSE’s second combined cycle power station located at Keadby.

Siemens Division Power and Gas CEO Willi Meixner said: “In June 2017, we announced to validate the technologies of our new HL-class for the 60-Hertz market at Duke Energy’s Lincoln County site in North Carolina in the United States.

“Now the cooperation with SSE for the 50-Hertz version of our HL-class is another milestone in our roadmap to further drive leading performance of gas-fired power generation.”