Power station fuelled by sewage and wood waste gets approval
PLANS to build a power station in Boston which will provide electricity for 10,500 homes by converting sewage and wood waste have been approved.
Lincolnshire County Council's planning and regulation committee backed Alternative Use Group Plc and Alchemy Farms Ltd's bid to construct the gasification plant on a five-acre site at Riverside Industrial Estate in Marsh Lane.
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The power station – claimed by its developers to be the first of its kind in the UK – will turn waste wood and sewage sludge from Boston Waste Water Treatment Works into renewable energy.
Operating 24 hours a day for 350 days each year, the power station will create 27 new jobs and will include a 60-metre high chimney that will become the second tallest structure in the town behind the 82-metre high Boston Stump. It will consume an estimated 90,200 tonnes of wood waste and 46,500 tonnes of sewage sludge per year.Committee vice-chairman Cllr Ron Hills said: "After carefully considering the comments received, the majority of committee members decided to approve the plans.
"However, we have ensured that measures will be taken to mitigate any concerns about odours and noise from the plant."
In a statement following the meeting local ward members Cllrs Raymond Singleton-McGuire and Paul Skinner said: "Although we appreciate the benefits this project will bring to Boston we would ask that the company does all it can to reduce traffic movements through Fishtoft village.
"We have already suggested that they consider alternative ways of transferring materials in consideration of the county's carbon footprint. For example a natural route already exists in the use of barges along the River Haven."
Speaking earlier this year the agent representing the developer, Oliver Grundy, said similar power stations were already in use in North America and Italy.
He stressed the sewage used at the plant would not be raw but would in fact be treated waste brought to the site in lorries in the form of "cake."
Mr Grundy added the power station would bring economic benefits to the town in the form of new jobs as well as seeing "much of Boston powered by its own refuse."
Comments
by Brian, Woodhall Spa
Thursday, September 09 2010, 1:19PM
“There are a number of concerns surrounding impact of this project. Choice of site 2.3 km due South of Boston Town centre with wind data confirming bulk of the 3.5 million cubic metres of pollution produced each day will impact on the town. A biomass plant with 60 m chimney is confirmed to mainly impact within 3km under certain weather conditions but can carry many km.
The pollution data provided gives two figures, the lower NOX data equates to 215,000 extra cars each travelling 10,000 km/yr, the higher figure equates to 345,000 extra cars. The sulphur dioxide pollution will be 136 times higher than equivalent fossil fuel per unit of useful electricity. The 3.46 million cu m of emissions per day are stated to be 19% water which we know is toxic. These emissions contain all the ingredients for acid rain and tropospheric ozone, both bad news in a prime veg growing area.
The plant is confirmed to be experimental and there is a serious lack of hard data to support the project. Promises of no local impact and compliance cause concern when we know other operators have promised no impact local to plant but when operating it becomes a damage limitation excercise.
The application contains a number of confusing claims on noise emissions e.g. no wood chipping on site but schedule 3a details continuous JCB operation feeding wood chippers 24/7 creating 102 dB noise level day and night. The cooling fans are 10.4 m above ground level creating noise concerns.
The application details bulk of wood will be "end of service telegraph poles" sourced locally . 90,000 tonnes equates to 500,000 plus poles. We know these poles are currently reused/ recycled into various uses local to end of service, to deliberately burn them in a very poor efficiency power plant displays lack of due diligence. WPIF is campaigning for timber to be "made to work" and not diverted to burning. The efficiency of this plant at 20% means 8 out of 10 wagon loads wasted and turned into air pollution.
Other Councils are banning clean biomass burning projects in urban areas because of air quality degradation causing health problems and increased NHS costs. The Boston plant will burn contaminated material and it is noted Scandinavian Countries are classifying creasote contaminated timber as hazardous material.
There are many concerns but I can only repeat the decision to place a known hazard in this location defies due care, due diligence and joined up thinking. The unknowns surrounding this project cause serious worries for environmental and health impact on Boston and surrounding area. The fundamental data confirms the electricity will be far dirtier than fossil fuel equivalent.
Hoping this is of interest.
Kind Regards
Brian Wilson
Kind Regards”