ENVIRONMENTALISTS have given a pioneering carbon capture scheme at Longannet power station in Fife a cautious welcome.

This week Fife councillors gave Scottish Power the go-ahead to harvest methane gas from the seams of coal beds around the site in Kincardine.

It is part of the energy company’s wider project to store carbon emissions, generated by coal burning, in underground coal beds.

As carbon from the power station is pushed into virgin coal seams, small quantities of methane will be pushed out.

Scottish Power plans to burn this methane at Longannet power station.

It means Longannet will be home to the UK’s first commercial coal bed methane production site.

But Scottish Power was keen to point out that the main aim of the scheme was not methane extraction but carbon capture.

A spokesman for Scottish Power said the decision was “exciting news” for the company.

He said, “One in four homes in Scotland is lit by Longannet, that’s how important it is, but we need to find somewhere to put carbon emissions so we can develop clean coal.

“We’re looking at the possibility of storing carbon in virgin coal seams in the old mine on the Forth.

“Scientists believe that carbon will attach itself to the coal but we need to prove this works in an industrial context.”

Friends of the Earth Scotland and the Scottish Green Party gave the scheme a lukewarm reaction.

Stuart Hay, head of campaigns at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said, “I would not say it is the silver bullet but would say it has a role to play as a stopgap, alongside other things, while renewables get up to speed.”

And a spokesman for the Scottish Green Party said, “We certainly welcome any moves to reduce Longannet’s emissions, but Scottish Power and Scottish ministers must also move as quickly as possible to phase out coal power altogether.”