Biomass contracts for N Wales
3 March 2000
Biomass contracts for N Wales
By Farmers Weekly staff
FARMERS in north Wales could soon be offered contracts to supply biomass crops to a 200 million green energy power station.
Anglesey livestock and arable farmer Edward Jones, who is already involved in a 30m a year turnover company supplying farmer customers with electricity and phone calls at discount prices, says the plant would produce 540 megawatts/hour of electricity.
While gas from beneath the Irish Sea would provide 80% of the fuel used, the rest could come from willow coppices and miscanthus grass crops on farms, forest residues, and even the rhododendrons that infest large areas of Wales.
This would make it the first station in the UK to comply with the Kyoto agreement that 10% of energy must come from renewable sources.
His company, Egni Biomass, and joint venture partners Biomass Power Plants and Independent Energy, have outline planning permission to construct the plant at Rhosgoch.
Mr Jones believes it could be operating within two years and providing extra income for hundreds of farmers.
They also intend to build five smaller environmentally friendly power stations in other parts of Wales.