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Ayrshire Power Limited (APL), the company proposing to build a new multi-fuel power station at Hunterston, North Ayrshire, has welcomed the findings of new research by Scottish Enterprise into Scotland’s carbon capture and storage (CCS) industry.
The study reveals that the construction and operation of three Scottish CCS demonstration projects could create 5000 jobs and provide a £3 billion boost for the Scottish economy.
Ayrshire Power’s proposed facility would create a significant number of jobs in Scotland, including more than 100 professional engineering jobs in Renfrew, around 1,600 construction jobs in North Ayrshire at the peak of the construction phase and approximately 160 on an ongoing basis once the plant is up and running.
It is estimated that the new 1852MWe power station with CCS could meet the electricity needs of up to 3 million homes.
Commenting on the findings of the Scottish Enterprise study, Muir Miller, project director at Ayrshire Power, said: “This new research provides further compelling evidence of the enormous potential which CCS offers for Scotland. The fact that the application of this new technology is at an early stage should be seen as a fantastic opportunity for Scotland to seize the initiative and take the lead by becoming a world leader in pioneering CCS technology.
“Scotland has challenging targets for emissions reduction and CCS offers an ideal solution both in terms of the potential economic and environmental benefits for the country.
“In addition to the North Sea’s storage capacity, Ayrshire Power’s focus is on depleted gas reservoirs in the East Irish Sea which also offer massive potential for CCS and we will be working closely with our consortium partners on this as our project progresses.
“Sustainability lies at the heart of our objectives for Hunterston and, by complementing the development of our renewable energy capability, the project will play a vital role in meeting the country’s energy needs using technology that can benefit the whole world.
“The Scottish Enterprise study outlines the scale of the benefits which our own project at Hunterston and those of our colleagues at ScottishPower with Longannet and Scottish & Southern at Peterhead could collectively bring to our economy.
“It is essential that these three developments are seen as complementary in terms of what they can deliver for Scotland’s energy mix and I would urge our regulators to support each of them and assess how best to gain the maximum advantage for Scotland from CCS.”
Ayrshire Power’s proposed power station has been designed based on the implementation of CCS technology in line with the latest UK and Scottish Government guidance. Using the latest supercritical power station technology will significantly increase efficiency and thereby reduce coal consumption. Even after allowing for the energy required to operate the CCS facility, the station is expected to be more efficient than any other coal fired power plant in the UK and ultimately would capture 90% of the CO2 produced by the plant.
Ayrshire Power’s proposals were submitted to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents and Deployment Unit in June 2010. The company is currently working closely with all of the key stakeholders including North Ayrshire Council, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to address the issues raised by the application for consent.
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