Plans for renewable energy plant cause controversy

A Scotland-based waste management company, has revealed its plans to open a renewable energy plant which will use animal by-products as part of its fuel.

The Oran Group was granted a connection to the national grid earlier this month and will build the £24 million plant on a 130-acre site in Kintore, Aberdeenshire.

An abattoir used to occupy the site, but residents complained about the smell from the buildings, a problem which will not occur under Oran's plans, according to company bosses.

Biomass materials which the waste management company is planning to use on the site include wood, dried sludge pellets, sludge cake, as well as meat and bone meal, to generate energy.

Commenting on the prospect of using dead cows as biofuel, Scottish deputy first minister Nicol Stephen said: "This is an exciting project that will help Scotland reach its target of producing 18 per cent of our electricity by 2010 from renewable sources."

Shiona Baird, north-east Green MSP and speaker on energy, was slightly more reserved, saying: "This is a very positive venture for the north-east which has abundant supplies of wood. However, there is room for improvement.

"Though some heat from combined heat and power technology is used on site, it is not being exported to homes so the project is failing to fully use the waste heat created in the production of the electricity. Also, I'm unsure that burning blood and bone meal is the best way to use this."

If the plant receives backing from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, it is predicted that the output from such a plant would be enough to power 9,000 homes.

© Adfero Ltd

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