ENGINEERING group Amec has won a multi-million pound contract to modify a coal-fired power station in Northern Ireland.

Workers from Amec's industrial division, in Darlington, will carry out the project, along with consortium partner Alstom.

The contract is the second Amec has won in conjunction with Alstom to fit air pollution control systems at power stations and it is hoped the partnership with Alstom could bring more lucrative work to Amec.

In November, Amec created 50 jobs at Darlington to work on a similar project in Wales.

Industry sources say the latest project, at Kilroot Power station, near Belfast, is worth between £35m and £50m, though it is not yet clear what Amec's share of the work will be.

Amec will provide planning, site management, civil and structural design, while Alstom will supply the technology to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions in line with EU emission requirements.

Work begins immediately and will continue throughout this year and next.

The project is driven by European environmental regulations due to come into force in 2008, which require air pollution technology to reduce emissions.

The technology from Alstom removes about 95 per cent of sulphur dioxide emissions, which are produced when generating electricity from coal. The system will use seawater to treat the sulphur dioxode, as seawater is alkaline and absorbs acidic gases.

Steve Lee, managing director of Amec's industrial business in Darlington, said: "This excellent contract is part of our strategy of providing specialist services to meet the needs of the energy sector, which also includes oil and gas, nuclear and renewables.

"Energy supply and the environment are two growing international issues and we are now well positioned for future emission reduction projects that may be required because of new European legislation."

The Kilroot power station supplies about a third of the electricity for Northern Ireland.

The deal is the latest in a number of contract wins for Amec's Darlington office.