Plea to lift restriction on waste wood plant

COUNCILLORS are being asked to lift a condition restricting a wood-burning plant on a Hull dock to taking only locally-sourced wood.

The nine-megawatt plant, destined for King George Dock, was approved more than a year ago but developers are seeking the change at a meeting tomorrow.

The regional development agency Yorkshire Forward supports the move, saying the condition could act as an “economic barrier... limiting the potential suppliers that the facility sources waste wood from”.

The plant is expected to take more than 200 tonnes of waste wood a day, meaning up to 15 extra lorries daily on the road to the port, although some may come in by boat.

According to a report to the planning committee, carbon savings of burning waste wood are “huge” compared with gas or coal. It adds: “Even transporting it 200 miles by road still represents a significant carbon saving, although doing so is considered bad practice.”

Most waste wood still goes into landfill, and biomass fuel is seen as one way of reducing reliance on imported oil, gas and coal.

Planners say the region is in “dire need” of the facility and are recommending that the condition is removed.

The plant uses a method called pyrolisis to turn the wood into gas that feeds turbines and generates heat for reuse within the plant, as well as electricity that can be transmitted to the National Grid.

It would produce only 47 tonnes a year of emissions, mostly ash.

Five full-time staff would be employed and the plant would operate continuously.

Of the estimated 7.5 million tonnes of waste wood produced in the UK every year, six million tonnes is landfilled and 1.2 million tonnes recycled. Just 0.3 million tonnes is used for energy recovery.