Council throws out £3bn coal power station plan

Thursday 10 November 2011

The Scottish Government's climate change targets have been hit by a new blow after a public inquiry was triggered yesterday into a company's plans for a clean-coal power station.

VICTORY: Protesters celebrate after North Ayrshire Council yesterday rejected plans for a new Hunterston plant. Main picture: Colin Mearns

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JODY HARRISON and ROBBIE DINWOODIE

The hearing, which may not be held for several months, will now go ahead after North Ayrshire councillors unanimously rejected the £3 billion Hunterston plant on the Ayrshire coast.

With First Minister Alex Salmond having pledged to make Scotland 100% dependent on so-called clean energy sources by 2020, the delay can be seen as a threat to the Government’s reliance on renewables and highlights the issue of back-up energy.

Councillors unanimously rejected the controversial proposal after hearing advice from their planning officials, but it raises wider questions about energy policy. The Scottish Government is already under fire for its over-reliance on wind power, which requires back-up from conventional sources.Last week, financial firm Citigroup said the SNP’s flagship renewables policy was “unaffordable” as it urged energy companies to rethink investing north of the Border.The new plans for a power station at Hunterston employing as yet untested carbon-capture technology received 21,000 written objections, the highest figure on record.A packed meeting yesterday heard from Jim Miller, the chief management development officer, who criticised Ayrshire Power’s plans for containing “insufficient evidence” on a wide range of areas.Chief among the reasons for throwing out the plans were that the plant would not produce 100% emission-free coal from “day one” and would contribute to climate change; that it was against the local plan for the area; and that there was a lack of benefit to the community when weighed against the impact it would have on the environment.Mr Miller said the scale of objections “must be taken into consideration”, adding: “Taking all this into account, we recommend that North Ayrshire Council inform the Scottish Government that it objects to the proposal.”The decision has triggered an automatic public inquiry, but it will prompt wider debate about whether ministers can guarantee the conventional energy generation baseload which underpins its renewable strategy if the Hunterston decision is delayed and ultimately rejected.A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Our Draft Electricity Generation Statement highlights that Scotland needs a minimum of 2.5GW of thermal generation by 2030 to back up our ambitious renewables targets and that this can be met by new-build plant; upgrades to existing plant; or a combination of both.“There will be no impact on baseload supply. This is an application for a new power station in addition to the over-7GW of existing thermal capacity.”Council leader David O’Neill said: “North Ayrshire is in urgent need of new jobs but not at any cost. We cannot ignore the adverse impact this development could have on the area. We now ask that the Scottish Government hold a public inquiry if they intend to approve the application.”Hunterston is designated as a project of national strategic importance, which could allow the streamlining of the inquiry process, so it could take months rather than years.The rejection was welcomed by campaigners, who were drawn from animal welfare charities, environmental groups and the local community.Ayrshire Power said it was disappointed but “determined” to progress the application.

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Council throws out £3bn coal power station plan

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