Jul 26 2007 | |
by Aled Blake, Western Mail | |
CONSULTATION is under way on a £50m renewable energy plant planned for the South Wales Valleys.
Anglo-Dutch company Express Power plans to build a wood-fuelled biomass plant on Rassau Industrial Estate in Blaenau Gwent.
The site has been identified by Welsh Assembly and local authority officials because of deficiencies in the electricity networks in the area for industrial and public sector large-scale users.
It is hoped the project would help develop the area's economy and attract investment. The company is consulting with the local community before it formally submits its planning proposals.
Around 200 jobs would be created during the two-year construction of the plant, and once operational it would create 25 permanent skilled and semi-skilled new jobs and an estimated further 50 jobs in supplies and transportation.
The plant will generate an annual 160,000 MWh (Mega Watt hours) of green electricity for Wales from Welsh forestry, recycled wood and wood derivatives.
By utilising recycled wood that would otherwise be sent to landfill, the project will also save 170,000 tonnes of wood going annually to local authority landfill sites.
This includes wood from wood recyclers, skip companies, furniture manufacturers, civic amenities sites within a 50-mile radius of the site.
The technology for the biomass plant is well established, especially in Germany and Austria where biomass and green energy production is more advanced and widespread than in the UK.
The only by-product from processing 170,000 tonnes of wood each year will be 5,000 tonnes of mineral-rich ash that can possibly be further processed and used as fertiliser.
Maurice Price, chairman of Express Power, said, "All local authorities face mounting pressure to help reduce carbon emissions and waste.
"We are grateful for help by the Welsh Assembly Government so far, and together we hope that Express Power's biomass development at Rassau will create new opportunities for the people of Blaenau Gwent.
"The project is carbon neutral, even allowing for transport, and will use local labour and transport providers where possible.
"As well as producing green electricity and much needed jobs, it will reduce amounts of valuable wood fuel going to landfill and its consequent cost to local council taxpayers."
