Environment

A detailed environmental impact assessment (EIA) was conducted in accordance with government legislation, statutory guidance and best practice during the planning stages of the project.

This considered a range of issues including air quality, emissions, noise, local ecology and transport and was a necessary prerequisite for receiving planning permission.

Public health is protected by legally binding air quality standards set by the Environment Agency defined in the plant environmental permit. All emissions produced by the plant are carefully monitored and controlled so as not to have a negative impact on the surrounding environment.

As defined by Defra in the Infrastructure Delivery Programme, the UK produces around 10 million tonnes of waste wood each year and currently almost all of this goes to landfill. The uses of waste wood as a biomass fuel could generate approximately 2600GWh of electricity and save 1.15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. A large majority of the waste wood available as a biomass fuel requires the compliant combustion facilities supported by this plant to burn the wood.