Cockenzie and Longannet worst offenders in overall 10% increase in Scottish industry�s carbon footprint

Pollution from Scotland's major coal and gas-fired power stations shot up last year, threatening to wreck the Scottish government's plans to combat climate change.

New figures from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) reveal massive increases in the amounts of carbon dioxide being belched out by the coal plants at Cockenzie and Longannet on the Firth of Forth and the gas plant at Peterhead.

Between them, the three power stations emitted 4.6 million tonnes more carbon dioxide in 2006 than in 2005, swamping significant cuts in emissions achieved by other industries. As a result, there was an overall rise of 10% in carbon pollution from Scottish industry.

"These increases are a major setback, with the huge rise in coal burning in power stations particularly alarming," said Dr Dan Barlow, acting director of WWF Scotland.

The Scottish government faced a "major challenge" in meeting its target of reducing Scotland's emissions by 80% by 2050, he argued. "Scotland needs an energy strategy that focuses on cutting energy use and maximising renewable potential if we are to avoid the target being wrecked."

The biggest increase in pollution was from Cockenzie, an old power station in East Lothian run by ScottishPower. Its carbon dioxide emissions rose 79%, from 2.8m to 5m tonnes, between 2005 and 2006 (see table). Cockenzie, along with Longannet and Peterhead, also recorded significant increases in emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which are known to exacerbate lung and heart diseases. Across Scotland these pollutants rose by 22% and 40% between 2005 and 2006, according to Sepa.

The increases are blamed partly on higher gas prices, which made it more economic to burn coal, a situation Sepa says is likely to persist "for the next couple of years". Prolonged safety shutdowns of the nuclear reactors at Hunterston and Torness also boosted demand for electricity from alternative sources.

Sepa has released online the latest pollution data on the 844 industrial sites it regulates. This shows that the mineral industry, including the Lafarge cement works near Dunbar, cut carbon dioxide emissions by 66% between 2005 and 2006. Waste companies reduced emissions by 49%, while the chemical industry achieved a cut of 16%. But these reductions were overwhelmed by the huge rise in emissions from the power stations.

"These figures make desperate reading," said Stuart Hay, head of policy at Friends of the Earth Scotland. "This must be a wake-up call to government."

Rob Ebbins, a process engineering expert with Sepa, pointed out that emissions from the power stations had been within safety limits designed to protect the environment and human health. The operators were making major investments to cut pollution in the future, he said, and everyone had to reduce the amount of electricity they used.

ScottishPower, which runs Cockenzie and Longannet, stressed that the pollution rises ought to be put in context. The company had unveiled a feasibility study to convert the stations to clean-coal technology and had invested £170 million to cut sulphur emissions 90% by the end of 2008.

"Our coal plants make an essential and reliable contribution to Scotland's energy needs," said a company spokesman. Emissions were bound to fluctuate due to a variety of factors "including availability of nuclear power and fuel prices", he added.

Scottish and Southern Energy is also planning to cut pollution by increasing the efficiency of its Peterhead power station. "We are doing a lot of work to lessen the impact our operations have on the environment," said a company spokeswoman.

The Scottish government recognises that there are challenges ahead. "That is why clean energy projects at Longannet and Peterhead are vital and offer Scotland an opportunity to take a world lead in the green energy revolution," said a government spokesman.

"We are determined to push ahead with our plans to consult on a mandatory target to achieve an 80% reduction in Scottish emissions by 2050," he added.

"We will be successful in addressing climate change and reducing emissions only if everyone, in Scotland and globally, accepts responsibility and adopts more sustainable patterns of behaviour."