Scottish and Southern Energy plc (SSE) has today announced the purchase of a 120MW gas-fired power station in Cardenden, Fife ('Fife Power') for £12.3 million cash.

The plant was constructed in two phases. The first a single open cycle gas turbine (OCGT), began commercial operation in November 1998. The second phase, conversion of the plant to CCGT, was complete and began commercial operation in January 2001. SSE intends to spend up to £3 million more to further upgrade the plant and reinforce its operational performance.

The acquisition, which follows the £242 million deal to acquire 100% ownership of Medway Power in October 2003, takes the capacity of SSE's power stations to almost 5,700MW. SSE now has the fifth largest portfolio of power stations (by installed capacity) in the UK, owning around 7.5% of the total.