The UK government has given planning consent for the proposed £250 m 100 MW North Blyth biomass power station to be built at Battleship Wharf on the River Blyth in Northumberland.
The decision follows a six-month public examination of the scheme by the Planning Inspectorate. For planning purposes it is classed as a ‘nationally significant structure’.
Developer RES said it expects to start construction work on the Port of Blyth-owned site next year, with the project taking about two-and-a-half years to complete. Our picture (right) shows an artist’s impression of the poposed site.
It is the first biomass development by solar and wind developer RES, which says the plant will create between 200 and 300 construction jobs, and up to 50 permanent posts.
It will include a group of fuel storage buildings up to 25 m tall and a 60 to 70 m boiler house, with a stack of up to 100 m in height.
The project was opposed by a number of residents, who claim the plant will be too big and too close to their homes. Fears have also been voiced that it will cause air pollution and traffic problems.
The scheme was also opposed by the North Tyneside branch of Friends of the Earth, who questioned its green credentials.
However residents said they were prepared to work with RES to ensure that mitigation measures and other issues raised at the examination in public were adhered to during the construction and operation of the plant.
