PLANS by National Grid Transco to import refrigerated natural gas through the Isle of Grain, could bring much-needed jobs to the area.

Medway Council has granted planning permission for the Isle of Grain terminal to be converted to a liquefied natural gas importation facility. And the project will involve construction of a new deep-water jetty for ships carrying the gas.

New boil-off gas compressors, high efficiency vaporisers and a pipeline to transport the gas from the ships to tanks onshore, also have to be built and installed.

When it's complete, at the beginning of 2005, the new facility will be capable of processing three million tons of liquid natural gas a year.

Ian Belmore, Isle of Grain manager for NGT said: "This is the best UK site for the development of such a terminal. We are looking forward to continuing our long history in liquefied natural gas and to working with the local community.

"Once commissioned the site will provide an excellent new source of gas to homes and industry in the South East and will allow us to meet demand very quickly."

The new facilities are necessary to cope with an estimated 16 per cent increase in demand for gas in the next 10 years, as North Sea gas fields become exhausted.