14 DAY TRIAL // The UK administration wants to challenge the coal's supremacy by supporting cleaner and safer substitutes, which might be able to generate enough power to become competitive with their fossil fuel rivals.
Yesterday, officials from the government announced that they approved a new project which will provide more green energy.
They are talking about a new power plant, located in Wakefield, Yorkshire, which will be able to obtain up to 108MW of energy, after exploiting waste and biomass.
The earth-friendly project will reflect only a part of SSE work, since they are also responsible for the efficient functioning of Ferrybridge coal power station facility, which will also host the biomass plant in the near future.
In order to expand the potential of the utility which provides 1,000 MV from coal-burning processes, while becoming eco-conscious, the company has invested £250m in this innovative path.
Such an earth-friendly measure would have a significant impact upon the national economy, while guaranteeing the expansion of long-term energy security measures.
“Some £200bn of investment is needed in the energy industry over the coming decade, representing remarkable opportunities for companies in the UK.
These decisions are a further example of our determination to clear the backlog of planning applications, to stimulate growth and enhance our energy security,” declared Energy minister Charles Hendry.
If everything goes according to plan, the work at the new sector from the facility will start next year, in October.
The authorities established that the project should be completed by 2015, when the plant will be able to work at its entire capacity, delivering sustainable fuel obtained from alternative sources such as biomass, waste and wood waste to thousands of households across the UK.
SSE plans to work in partnership with several other enterprises, in order to achieve its goals.
First, they intend to collaborate with Shanks, in order to provide waste-derived energy to power facilities around Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster councils.
Next, the company's officials have in mind a partnership with Doosan Power Systems and Vattenfall, which would join efforts with them to launch a innovative carbon capture sector at Ferrybridge.
Despite the fact that the already-existing facility might close by 2015, Rhys Stanwix, SSE's director of thermal development, affirmed that the new project shouldn't be considered a replacement for the already-developed technology.
We still don't know how the enterprises' future plans will be affected by the fact that the government might decrease its financial support on the market of biomass and waste-derived fuel.