Scottish plant faces fury
A multimillion-pound biomass plant, which has been proposed for an industrial site near Fort William, Scotland, UK, is facing opposition from local residents.
The company behind the proposals, which have caused worries about emissions, increased noise levels and the visual impact it would have on the surrounding area, is low carbon energy company Peel Energy.
The plant would process around 240,000 tonnes of local, clean wood, including chips, sawdust, bark and sawmill products. A daily flow of 37 26-tonne trucks would deliver the wood and this has also fuelled concerns over traffic noise. However Peel plans to utilise the facility’s rail and sea connections in the future.
With a 167ft chimney, Peel Energy’s facility will be six times taller than any of the nearby industrial buildings.
‘We are still carrying out detailed technical environmental studies on the site,’ said Jonathan Burley, development manager at Peel Energy. ‘We believe this is a good location for a biomass plant which takes advantage of the site’s portside location and builds on the existing timber trade handled at the harbour.’
In October this year Peel plans to hold a public exhibition. Burley explained: ‘We have had some initial discussions with relevant local groups and we will shortly be announcing full details of our plans for consultation with the local community on our proposals.’
The company behind the proposals, which have caused worries about emissions, increased noise levels and the visual impact it would have on the surrounding area, is low carbon energy company Peel Energy.
The plant would process around 240,000 tonnes of local, clean wood, including chips, sawdust, bark and sawmill products. A daily flow of 37 26-tonne trucks would deliver the wood and this has also fuelled concerns over traffic noise. However Peel plans to utilise the facility’s rail and sea connections in the future.
With a 167ft chimney, Peel Energy’s facility will be six times taller than any of the nearby industrial buildings.
‘We are still carrying out detailed technical environmental studies on the site,’ said Jonathan Burley, development manager at Peel Energy. ‘We believe this is a good location for a biomass plant which takes advantage of the site’s portside location and builds on the existing timber trade handled at the harbour.’
In October this year Peel plans to hold a public exhibition. Burley explained: ‘We have had some initial discussions with relevant local groups and we will shortly be announcing full details of our plans for consultation with the local community on our proposals.’
