A £10M overhaul at the Wilton power station on Teesside will boost its efficiency and involve 200 specialist contractors.

The three-month overhaul on Number 5 Boiler will begin on Monday, August 21, and will be led by Amec, of Darlington.

It will be the boiler's first major overhaul in six years, and the first since SembCorp Utilities UK bought the business in 2003.

The work involves about 1,000 tasks and will take 80,000 man-hours to complete.

Paul Rainbow, SembCorp's Boiler 5 overhaul manager, said: "It's a major project for our business and one that must be carried out safely."

Preparation has taken more than 18 months, including six months of planning with Amec.

Aidan Patton, Amec event manager, said: "We carry out a lot of shutdown work for customers in this area and are generally regarded by the industry as the 'best in class' when it comes to this type of activity.

"We use local people and resources wherever we can and concentrate a large amount of our time and effort on safety matters."

Wilton Power Station provides steam and electricity to major chemical manufacturers on the site including Huntsman, Dow, Advansa and Invista.

Number 5 Boiler is one of two at the site capable of using coal and oil. The overhaul will also give it the ability to generate electricity from natural gas.

The installation of 12 burners will also cut nitrogen dioxide emissions and other work will see the turbine work more efficiently.

SembCorp is building the £60m Wilton 10 wood-burning power station at the site.