MORE than 300 new short-term jobs could be created at a Kent power station. The decision of Powergen, operator of the Kingsnorth power station near Rochester, to reinstate a disused generation unit will also safeguard permanent jobs and boost power capacity to almost 2,000 megawatts.

But many local residents are worried that the job increase will mean more cars travelling up the accident-prone A228. Road safety campaigner Val Wells, who lives in Upper Stoke, said: "This would be good news for the employment problem in the area but it's bad news for the A228. It will mean more cars and there will be more and more accidents and more people are going to die. She added: "I understand that they are going to start building a new dual carriageway from Chattenden to Ropers Lane which would serve Kingsnorth Power Station, so before they think about opening up any more industry they should get that road sorted out."

There are currently 212 people working at Kingsnorth and there are another four power stations on the Isle of Grain.

Plant manager Jim Lightfoot believes the move is a "fantastic" decision for Kingsnorth, its workforce and local contractors and it also signals long-term commitment to the plant.

He added: "It's very exciting for the site. Short-term, there will be hundreds of extra people on site. The maximum we will need will probably be about 300 or 350."

Paul Golby, Powergen's UK operations director, said: "Additional capacity at Kingsnorth will provide us with an important source of lower cost generation, increasing our flexibility and competiveness.

"There is no doubt that high gas prices have also resulted in coal becoming a more economically viable fuel for us."

Work starts soon and the project is expected to be completed by next summer.