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The consultation period on the planning application by Ayrshire Power for a new multi-fuel power station with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology at Hunterston, North Ayrshire, has now closed, it was announced today.
Ayrshire Power’s proposals were submitted to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit in June.
The company extended the consultation period from its original date of 18th July until 20th August to give all the interested parties as much time as possible to review them.
Project Director Muir Miller said:
“Ayrshire Power welcomes the comments of all groups and individuals to our proposals. This is a project of international significance and it is important that people have the opportunity to express their views and we are pleased that they have done so.
“Our proposals have attracted objections from environmental groups, charities and faith groups. The irony is that these groups are opposing, however sincerely, the very technology that can do most to tackle global warming.
“Since coal will continue to be the dominant global fossil fuel for power generation for the medium to long term, we must find ways to generate low carbon electricity from it.”
The design of the power station is based upon the implementation of demonstration scale CCS technology from start up in line with the latest UK and Scottish Government guidance.
In addition to ultimately capturing 90% of the carbon dioxide produced by the plant, the latest supercritical power station technology will have significantly increased efficiency and so reduced coal consumption by up to 25% compared to existing conventional plants, thereby further reducing CO2 emissions.
If approved, it is estimated that the facility could meet the needs of up to 3 million homes. The proposed development would also create a significant number of jobs in North Ayrshire,employing up to 1,600 people at the peak of construction and approximately 160 on an ongoing basis once the site is up and running.
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