Energy scheme designs revealed to villagers

BLUEPRINTS for a multi-million pound scheme to transform a former mine into a green energy facility to produce electricity for tens of thousands of homes will be showcased next week.

Plans are being drawn up to re-develop the disused North Selby mine site into an internationally-renowned bio-renewables research facility to operate beside an energy recovery plant that will generate heat and electricity.

The Yorkshire Post revealed last month that as many as 100 jobs could be created if the 30m development goes ahead. The proposals will go on display in an exhibition to villagers living in nearby Escrick next Tuesday.

Officials from Science City York have teamed up with the North Selby site owners, UK Coal, and an energy company, Peel Environmental, to promote what could be a cornerstone of a growing clean energy market in the region.

The chief executive of Science City York, Professor Nicola Spence, said: “The research facility will provide a unique opportunity to drive business growth across the region.

“By developing and testing fuels, materials and speciality chemicals made from the crops and plants we grow here, we will support Yorkshire and Humber’s already international reputation as a world leader in the development of the technologies of the future.”

The centre is due to generate up to 22MW of energy – enough power to meet the average needs of about 37,000 homes.

Non-hazardous waste left over from recycling will be treated using techniques including anaerobic digestion, where micro-organisms break down biodegradable material, to generate renewable energy.

Gasification technologies will also be employed to shred waste before passing it into a chamber where it is then heated in the absence of oxygen to create an energy-rich “syngas”. This gas is then collected and used as a fuel to generate steam, which in turn can generate heat and electricity.

A planning application is due to be submitted to York Council in February.

A decision is expected early next summer.

The exhibition will be held at Escrick and Deighton Social Club, next to the village hall in Main Street, Escrick, on Tuesday between 4.30pm and 7.30pm.