Potential biomass energy for Portsmouth naval base

Local news reports claim a renewable energy project may be located at a naval base in Portsmouth, UK.

A heat and power facility to cater for two new aircraft carriers and visiting ships is on the table and a biomass-based solution appears to be favoured by the local council, with council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson confirming Helius Energy as being in talks with the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

‘When modern warships turn up here they tap into the electricity mains and take a huge amount of power,’ Vernon-Jackson was quoted as saying. ‘<this project> is more sustainable, it may well be cheaper and it will create jobs.’

The MoD says no decision has been made however and other power sources are being looked at too.

As previously reported by Bioenergy Insight, Helius is the same company behind a proposed £300 million (€346.4 million) biomass plant in nearby Southampton, which has seen stiff opposition from local residents. The project remains in limbo.