£100m green energy plant plan to power paper mill

Published Date: 19 July 2008
By Jenny Haworth

A £100 million green power plant is to be built at a paper mill in Fife.
The 45-megawatt biomass plant will cut the Tullis Russell paper mill's carbon emissions by about 250,000 tonnes a year. About two-thirds of its power is expected to go into the national grid.The combined heat and power plant will provide the paper mill in Markinch, near Glenrothes, with heat and electricity and will create 30 jobs. It currently uses a coal-fired plant to provide its steam and electricity.The new plant will be built by RWE Npower Cogen and Tullis Russell, with the aid of £8.1 million in funding from the Scottish Government.Alex Salmond, the First Minister, said: "The project complements the Scottish Government's work to make Scotland greener." Dr Doug Parr, Greenpeace chief scientist, said: "Assuming the biomass comes from sustainable sources, this is exactly the kind of project needed to tackle climate change and increase energy security