Biomass plant proposals
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Forth Energy, the joint venture between Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and Forth Ports, has unveiled proposals for the development of four biomass power stations in Scotland.
The proposed sites for the power stations are Forth Ports’ locations in Dundee, Leith, Rosyth and Grangemouth. Once installed, the total capacity of the biomass power stations is expected to reach around 400MW.
The plants will be fuelled primarily by softwood sourced from sustainably managed forests in the UK and abroad. According to the group, the heat produced by the process will be enough to be used by other facilities close to the sites.
Ian Marchant, chief executive of SSE, said: ‘Creating Forth Energy was designed to give us a new series of opportunities to pursue sustainable energy developments and these proposals come into that category. It is clear that biomass will play an increasingly important role in energy production over the next 10 years and it is an area in which SSE expects to be a significant player.’
SSE currently owns and operates an 80MW dedicated biomass plant in Slough, Berkshire. The group is undertaking consultations on its latest proposals and hopes to gain approval to build the plants next year.
In separate news, E.ON has submitted a planning application to the Department of Energy and Climate Change for a 150MW biomass-fired energy plant at the Royal Portbury Dock in North Somerset.
If the project is approved, construction is expected to begin in 2010 and the plant may be fully operational as early as 2013.
Once operating, E.ON claims the facility could produce enough power for around 200,000 homes by burning fuels such as wood.
