Welsh biomass plant proposed

By Fiona Harvey
Published: September 23 2008 03:00

Plans for a biomass-burning power plant that could provide electricity for 50,000 homes in Wales were submitted yesterday by Welsh Power's subsidiary, CEC Generation. If given the go-ahead, the £140m plant near Newport, running on woodchip and energy crops, would be one of a handful of such power stations in the UK.
The government wants to encourage more such plants as an alternative to fossil fuels, but difficulties with finding sustainable and cheap sources of fuel, and worries over government subsidies, have held back their development. The 50MW plant would take about two years to build, the company said. The site was chosen for the ease of delivery of biomass through the nearby port.
Fiona Harvey
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008