Council wants answers before giving biomass plan response
Dundee City Council wants Scottish ministers to defer plans for the controversial biomass plant at the harbour until more information is available about its impact on public health and the environment.
The debate begins, under the watchful eye of the public gallery.
- By Andrew Argo
- Published in the Courier : 25.01.11
- Published online : 25.01.11 @ 09.25am
If the government is not minded to accept the council's recommendations or impose conditions on air quality, the council will insist on its response to the Forth Energy scheme being treated as an objection.
A public inquiry will automatically be triggered if this happens, allowing all aspects of one of the most emotive planning issues to affect the city in many years to be investigated.
In a marathon debate on Monday night — lasting over three and a half hours before packed public benches — the policy and resources committee heard deputations against and for the proposal before the elected members had their say.
The Dundee harbour biomass proposal is one of four being pursued by Forth Energy across Scotland and last night was the first time any of them had been formally discussed by a council.
The councils of Dundee, along with Falkirk, Grangemouth and Edinburgh, are statutory consultees in decision-making processes which rest ultimately with the Scottish Government.
The Dundee proposal was described by Forth Energy managing director Calum Wilson as a £320 million investment for Dundee and would be worth £26 million a year to the local economy. It would create between 300 and 500 jobs during the construction phase, 40 permanent jobs thereafter and 30 jobs in the port.
It has also been claimed it would pave the way to Dundee securing a future in the renewable energy industry with several hundred jobs.
It has been proposed for the land south of the Nynas refinery at King George V Wharf, and will create an opportunity to move away from electricity and heat generated from fossil fuels to a lower carbon source.
Each plant would produce enough electricity to heat 160,000 homes, but require a near 100m stack at each location, he added. It would burn a range of wood-based material, and not just wood from forests, and much of it would be shipped in.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has no objection in principle but has warned it would add to nitrogen dioxide levels already above the legal limit in that part of the city.
However the forecast increase would be so small that there would be no consequence for public health.
Scottish Natural Heritage, a statutory consultee like SEPA, said there would be effects on wildlife in the estuary, avoidable by the use of conditions, and did not consider there would be significant detrimental impact on designated sites.
NHS Tayside has raised concerns about possible health risks related to the proposed plant.
In his report to members, Mike Galloway, the director of city development, said while there were unresolved aspects with the plant it would not result in an unacceptable level of impact with controls in place.
The first deputee to speak last night was Kimberley Ellis of Friends of the Earth Tayside, who said the proposal was unacceptable and questioned whether it was really sustainable.
Continued...
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