The directors of Bishop’s Castle Biomass Power Ltd are extremely disappointed with the breakdown of negotiations with Shropshire Council over the terms of the lease for the site of the combined heat and power plant.

Anyone believing in the need for renewable energy, whether for reasons of climate change or energy security, should be deeply concerned by the current outcome. All alternatives to biomass have serious drawbacks. Wind power is intermittent and requires fossil fuel backup and new pylons.

Solar power produces nothing at night and is expensive in the UK, which will be reflected in electricity bills. Neither wind nor solar create long-term local jobs. Anaerobic digestion requires the transport of large amounts of farm slurries or food waste, or use of substantial areas of good agricultural land to grow input crops.

Biomass power plants using locally-produced forestry residues, by contrast, can cleanly replace base-load electricity from coal-fired power stations. There are hundreds of biomass plants in Europe and around the world, and the technology is proven, safe and reliable.

Many communities depend on them for renewable electricity, heat, and for long- term local employment. An appropriately sized plant, sited near to consumers, requires no pylons and avoids the huge power losses associated with long distance transmission. It also stabilises local electricity supply. The by-product, heat, can be distributed to nearby buildings or recycled in processes such as wood pellet-making.

Bishop’s Castle is losing the chance to minimise its carbon footprint and become one of the country’s ‘greenest’ towns. The many full-time jobs that could be created in the fuel supply chain, the energy plant and the businesses that would be developed as a result of a stable electricity and heat network will be forfeited.

The opportunity of a substantial reduction in heating costs of the SpArC leisure centre and swimming pool in its hour of need, as well as the Community College, church and other premises, will also be lost. We remain strongly convinced of the need for safe, sustainable and viable renewable energy solutions.

The Directors
Bishop’s Castle
Biomass Power Ltd

See also:

• Bishop’s Castle biomass fight group pledge on use of land
• Jubilation after plans for Bishop’s Castle biomass plant are scrapped
• Bishop’s Castle biomass plant plans scrapped