Power plant plans go on display in Somercotes

Plans for a controversial power plant have gone on display in Derbyshire.

Warwick Energy Ltd wants to change fuel use at an electricity generation station at Pye Bridge, near Alfreton, to use non-recyclable waste.

This would enable it to provide energy to power 7,700 homes a year and create at least 10 new jobs, the firm said.

Many residents said they were unaware of the plans and more than 1,400 people signed a petition objecting to the development, citing pollution concerns.

Emission concerns

Warwick Energy stressed the new plant would not be an incinerator and would be monitored by the Environment Agency with independent fuel analysis.

It would use around 25,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste that would otherwise go to landfill, generating 3.2MW net output electricity.

With a so-called gasification, fuel is processed in an enclosed unit with no fume stack and the resulting gas is cleaned before being used to fuel a conventional engine which drives a generator to produce electricity.

Campaigning group Avain (Amber Valley Against Incinerators) is opposing the project and has voiced fears over potentially harmful emissions into the air, soil and water.

Avain chairman Simon Lee said: "We are not only fighting for local residents, but we are fighting to stop this from occurring elsewhere."

The plans for the Pye Bridge plant are being displayed at a public exhibition at Somercotes Parish Rooms on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Derbyshire County Council said a date had yet to be fixed for the next committee meeting to discuss the proposal.