E.ON puts plans for £300m biomass plant to Bristol residents

E.ON, which has not yet submitted a full planning application for the Portbury Dock Renewable Energy Plant, is hoping to get Bristol residents onside through meeting the plant team and visiting a series of exhibitions this month. It said it would give local people a better understanding of what biomass is, what E.ON is planning to build and the impact that the plant will have on the city.

The Portbury Dock plant is expected to generate enough power to supply more than 200,000 homes from waste wood. Even though the majority of fuel transported to the plant will be by ship, E.ON claims it will displace 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

E.ON already operates Scotland's biggest biomass plant, the 44 megawatt (MW) Steven's Croft in Lockerbie. Each year, Steven's Croft generates enough electricity to power the equivalent of 70,000 homes, displacing up to 140,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases. The power station burns a mixture of biomass fuels derived from forestry co-products, such as sawdust from local saw mills and specially grown willow.

Dr Nilton Chan, project developer on the Portbury Dock project, said: "Our plans underline Bristol's reputation as one of the country's leading green areas, and we're committed to working with local residents to ensure that they're kept informed at all stages. It's through developments like this that we can help change the way that the UK generates electricity, reducing our carbon emissions and maintaining a secure and affordable energy supply for our customers."


Paul Hunt, development manager for E.ON, said: "This development is an excellent opportunity to generate secure, reliable and sustainable energy that will help keep the lights on for homes and businesses throughout the South West while reducing the impact we have on the environment. It would also underline the Bristol area’s reputation as one of the country’s leading green areas and would make a significant contribution towards helping the South West meet its tough renewable energy targets."

In August 2008, the company issued a Scoping Statement to North Somerset Council, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and other interested parties outlining their plans. If approval is granted, the company aims to start construction by 2010, produce its first power by 2013 and been fully operational by 2014.