Monday 8 November 2010

Npower bids to ramp up biomass at Tilbury

RWE npower has applied to the Environment Agency for permission to increase the use of biomass as a fuel at Tilbury Power Station.

Tilbury station manager Nigel Staves said: "Our permit to operate the power station already allows us to use some biomass in place of coal and we are applying for a licence variation that would increase this amount.

"If permission is granted by the Environment Agency, we would adapt the plant to burn biomass rather than coal. This would result in a substantial reduction in the amount of ash created by the power station as well as lower emissions of sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides."

Converting the existing power station to run on biomass would take approximately 12 months and could be fully operational by early 2012.

Related stories: John Lewis targets biomass for 129 stores