Dr Tim Fox from the institution said it would provide Lancashire with "a much-needed economic boost".

BBC: Fracking could create 'thousands' of engineering jobs

"I get half a dozen people a week trying to persuade me they have a brilliant invention, " head of energy Tim Fox told BBC News.

BBC: Liquid air 'offers energy storage hope'

But Dr Tim Fox, head of energy and environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, warned of a potential shortage of skilled engineers needed to build the plant.

BBC: New nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point C is approved