Builders who want to create a huge 75 megawatt power station at Ridham Dock are to hold three public exhibitions as part of a six-week consultation.

The London company K3 CHP is applying to the Planning Inspectorate to build and operate the Wheelabrator Kemsley Generating Station next to the DS Smith Paper Mill at Kemsley off Barge Way, Kemsley, Sittingbourne.

The project already has planning permission from Kent County Council and construction has started.

But since permission was granted in 2012, a technical review has been carried out to make the scheme more efficient.

The changes mean it now needs a a different type of planning permission, known as a Development Consent Order (DCO), as it has become a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project.

When finished, the combined heat and power generator will process up to 550,000 tonnes of pre-treated waste each year, generating sustainable electricity and diverting waste from landfill.

It will also provide steam to heat Kemsley Paper Mill next door.

Bosses say the changes won't alter the design, size, shape or look of the facility from the outside.

It will will include two weighbridges, a tipping hall, shredder, storage bunker, cranes , boilers, twin chimneys, a steam turbine, water ponds and a transformer to the National Grid.

Wheelabrator UK managing director Paul Green said: "We are really looking forward to explaining our optimisation proposal to residents and businesses.

"The changes proposed all relate to the technology inside our facility and will have no impact on the plant’s design or size and won’t require any additional fuel.

"The increases in electrical output simply mean we need a different type of planning permission. This consultation will be our opportunity to explain that to the communities living and working in and around the Kemsley area.”

A copy of the plans can be seen at Swale House, East Street, Sittingbourne from 9am to 5pm (4.30pm on Fridays) and Kent County Council offices at County Hall, Maidstone, from 9am to 4pm from today (Wednesday Mar 8) until Wednesday April 19.

The plans can also be viewed online at www.wtikemsley.co.uk. An electronic version on CD is available free. Printed copies cost £100 and can be requested by emailing Kemsley@rpsgroup.com, calling free on 0800 144 8908 or by writing to Freepost Wheelabrator Kemsley.

All responses must be received by 5pm on April 19.

Wheelabrator Technologies claims to be the second largest US energy-from-waste business and is an industry leader in the conversion of everyday residential and business waste into clean energy.

The exhibitions will be on:

Thursday March 23

Kemsley Community Centre, The Square, Ridham Avenue, Kemsley, ME10 2SF from 1pm to 7pm.

Friday March 24

Green Porch parish hall, Green Porch Close, Sittingbourne, ME10 2HA, from 10am to 4pm.

Saturday March 25

Iwade Village Hall, Ferry Road, Iwade, ME9 8RG from 10am to 1pm.