By Aileen Robertson

A £60 MILLION power station that turns sewage into “green” electricity is planned for west Fife.

Scottish Power hopes to produce enough energy for 33,000 homes by burning pellets made from human waste and other biomass such as olive pips, willow copse and wood.

It would mean 70 new jobs for the area.

The company lodged a planning application with Fife Council this week to develop the generator on land west of Longannet power station in Kincardine.

If the proposal takes a smooth course through the planning process it could be up and running in spring 2010.

Constructing the power station would take an estimated two years.

Biomass is any plant material or animal residue that can be burned to provide energy. It is being promoted as a more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels in the drive to reduce carbon emissions.

Since 2003, “biosolids” from Daldowie fuel plant in Uddingston, which processes sewage sludge, have been burned with coal at Longannet.

Approximately 60,000 tonnes of pellets from Daldowie are used by the Kincardine power station each year.

However, the introduction of the European Waste Incineration Directive has banned the practice of burning biosolids with coal.

Scottish Power has therefore come up with the proposal for a stand-alone biomass plant to comply with the new legislation.

A spokesman for Scottish Power said, “It will be a state-of-the-art plant that would not only be able to burn pellets, but other fuel as well. About 60% of the material burned at the plant would be pellets and the rest would be other biomass.

“It’s a good way of disposing with our sewage and turning it into something that can be used as fuel.

“It also shows our future investment in Longannet, as well as bringing 70 jobs to the area.”

Residents are being consulted on Scottish Power’s plans. Public exhibitions detailing the proposal have been on show in Kincardine this week and one is taking place at Stephen Memorial Hall in Culross from 2.30pm to 7.30pm today.

Scottish Power considered 150 possible sites throughout central Scotland before choosing Longannet because it has good access to the roads network and is located close to fuel sources.

It is not the first biomass plant to be mooted for Fife.

Green giants Scottish BioFuel and Scottish BioPower are seeking planning permission for a biomass power station at Westfield opencast site near Lochore.