The project would generate carbon neutral electricity for approximately 600,000 homes in the North East of England. The power plant, generating power from sustainable sources of biomass, is scheduled to commence its commercial operations in 2014.
Chris Moore, director of MGT Power, said: “With the Government committed to more renewable electricity generation over the next decade, our Tyne biomass project along with our consented scheme at Teesport will make a significant contribution to the Government’s targets. Large scale biomass projects can operate at baseload and each scheme will produce in one year as much green electricity as the largest 1,000MW wind farm project. Each biomass project will also save 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 from being emitted every year.
“We see the Tyne project as not only a major green power project for the UK, but one that will contribute positively to the local area and the North East economy, primarily in terms of local investment and employment. We intend to hold a public exhibition of our plans in September.”
MGT Power has outlined details of the project in a “Scoping Document” which has been circulated to various local and national organisations, including North Tyneside Council, the Environment Agency and the Department of Energy & Climate Change. The details include rationale for the project, the energy and planning policy framework and the technical studies and consultations that MGT Power will undertake as part of the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Linda Arkley, North Tyneside Mayor, said: “Tyne REP would bring substantial benefits to the borough and the wider region, representing an investment of over £400 million, the creation of hundreds of construction jobs, future permanent on-site jobs, 300–400 indirect jobs and an annual spend of £30 million in the local economy.”
The biomass feedstock for the Tyne Renewable Energy Plant would be sourced from certified sustainable forestry projects developed by the MGT Power team and partners in North and South America and the Baltic States, and in the longer-term UK sources. The plant would use approximately 2.4m tonnes of woodchips per annum and would operate at baseload – 24 hours a day, all year round.
