The striking design offers the possibilities of real jobs on Teesside but should it be re-thought? Teesside is an ideal location for biomass power stations, with good port facilities, experienced workforce, good grid connections and an industrial heritage - indeed we were the first in the country with the Sembcorp Biomass Power Station at Wilton International and there are two more planned at Teesport and Billingham. However FoE has some reservations about the BEI-Teesside scheme that plans to import Palm oil kernel biomass from Malaysia 9,000 miles away rather than using waste wood or sustainable wood from the UK or Scandinavia.
Last month a proposed Biofuel power station in Bristol was refused permission due to concerns over their use of palm oil. Some Palm oil plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia impact on wildlife (especially Orangutans), local people, burning /cutting down rain forest, and the environment in general.
At present, the use of palm oil products for fuel makes a mockery of the high govt subsidy that developers would get for producing power in this way.
FoE are looking into the details closely and may object to the scheme when it comes to the planning committee meeting on Wed 17th March at Stockton library. If there was a different source of biomass used Foe would not have an objection.
Application at Stockton council;
http://www.developmentcontrol.stockton.gov.uk/PublicAccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=KUSSKCPK0B900
Evening Gazette article
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/2009/12/22/designs-revealed-for-green-power-plant-on-tees-84229-25448035/2/
http://news.mongabay.com/bioenergy/2008/01/coals-deep-trouble-makes-biomass-highly.html
BEI's environmental report
http://bei.uk.com/docs/EIA%20Report.pdf
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