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Ayrshire Power, the company proposing to develop a new multi-fuel power station with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology at Hunterston, North Ayrshire has today confirmed that it has successfully completed the “Gate-Checking” Process for Section 36 Planning Applications covering onshore power stations which it submitted to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit on 15 March 2010.
This process allowed the Scottish Government to assess the application documents in consultation with statutory consultees, to ensure that they contain all the necessary information for a full assessment of the proposals to be made.
With the gate-checking process now completed, Ayrshire Power’s Section 36 Planning Application has now been ‘duly made’ and, following the necessary public advertisement which commences 4 June 2010, these plans will be available for public comment and detailed consideration by the Scottish Government and statutory consultees.
The proposed development, located on a site between the existing Clydeport coal handling facility at the Hunterston Terminal and Hunterston B nuclear power plant would burn both coal and biomass and use highly efficient modern technology with strict emissions control.
The power station has been designed based on the implementation of CCS technology in line with the latest UK and Scottish Government guidance. In addition to ultimately capturing 90% of the carbon dioxide produced by the plant, the latest supercritical power station technology will significantly increase efficiency and so reduce coal consumption by up to 25% compared to existing conventional plants, thereby further reducing CO2 emissions.
If approved, it is estimated that the facility could meet the needs of about 3 million homes.
The proposed development would also create a significant number of jobs in North Ayrshire, employing up to 1,600 people at the peak of construction and approximately 160 on an ongoing basis once the site is up and running.
Project Director Muir Miller said: “We are pleased that our application has now progressed to the next stage of the planning process”.
“We believe our proposal supports the UK and Scottish Governments’ commitment to leading the way in developing CCS to assist in decarbonising the UK’s electricity sector by 2030. We remain determined to deploy this technology at full scale on a modern supercritical power station, supported by appropriate regulatory and fiscal measures.”
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