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Posted by Editor on 29th November 2011 at 01:39 PM
Britain's Biomass Blunder
by Peter Kilvert, Chair of the Breathe Clean Air Group

The Government’s claim that burning biomass is green and clean could be the biggest blunder of the century.

There are many scientific reports that say that very fine Particulate Matter, which the law turns a blind eye to, is extremely damaging to health.

Emissions are contributing to heart attacks, strokes, cancer and premature death and will affect our children and grandchildren for many years to come. And the Government is giving millions of pounds of taxpayers money to subsidise these polluters.

Burning biomass also produces tonnes of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. It is reported by Massachusetts Forest Watch that burning wood produces 50% more carbon dioxide per unit of energy than coal and 330% more carbon dioxide than new natural gas plants.

Another US environmental group No Biomass Burn reports: “Two Seattle Steam Incinerators threaten to turn downtown Seattle into a lethal pollution zone. One incinerator near Pike Place Market is already burning dirty waste wood.

The huge 50 MW incinerator planned near Pioneer Square would emit killer particle pollution and more than 200,000 tons per year of carbon dioxide”.

Two biomass power plants in California’s central valley were fined $835,000 by the US Environmental Protection Agency for exceeding limits of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. The two plants, located within 12 miles of each other, are Ampersand Chowchilla Biomass and Merced Power, and have been operating since 2008.

The Breathe Clean Air Group is extremely concerned with these reports, especially if Peel Energy appeal against Trafford Council’s rejection of the controversial Barton Renewable Energy Plant.

This proposed plant is not going to use the expected “best available techniques” to burn and capture its waste products and even proposes a chimney stack which is only half the normal height.

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