Renew On Line (UK) 31

Extracts from the May-June 2001 edition of Renew
These extracts only represent about 25% of it

SRC still delayed..

Progress on Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) still seems to be very slow. The British Biogen conference in Cambridge in Feb. provided an opportunity to take stock. Of the three NFFO 3 projects still live, only the flagship ARBRE project is looking at all hopeful in the near future - and even that had still yet to be fully commissioned. Evidently its turnkey contractor has gone bust. Ambient had hoped to complete the other two projects soon at Eye and Cricklade (North Wiltshire). However Cricklade has been refused planning permission, although it seems it has a fair chance of winning the appeal. The news on the 5.5 MW project at Eye is better. Planting of SRC is due to start soon on five farms. The relatively dry climate in East Anglia is deemed suitable for the crop. Harvesting vehicles will be tracked vehicles so as to cope with adverse ground conditions during the winter. But when the gasification plant goes live in 2003 it will run entirely on forestry sourced fuel in the first instance. Some long-term forestry contracts are being negotiated, since, according to one scenario, the plant might only be fuelled by 33% SRC in 2013. The remaining 67% would still have to come from forestry.

It is now over 6 years since these NFFO projects were announced, and there also seem to be delays with other parts of the programme. For example, the Border Biofuels wood-fuelled plant at Carlisle, which was approved in June 1999, has run into difficulties about road access. The cost of road improvements is now so high that the project has stalled. Local politicians have been vociferous on the roads issue, but it is quietly hoped that, after the general election, some kind of realistic agreement can be negotiated to enable this 20MW project to go ahead.

Unsurprisingly then there were serious concern at the Cambridge gathering about the whole energy crops scene and the governments handling of it. For example it was asked why put money into short-rotation coppice when there are substantial quantities of forest residues rotting in the woods? How can a target of 125,000 hectares be achieved when only 22,000 hectares are planned? Why is all the emphasis on power production? What about heat?

Reflecting the government’s views, John Doddrell, who succeeded Godfrey Bevan at the DTI and is Director of the Sustainable Energy Policy Directorate, announced a new initiative which is to promote between five and ten 30MW projects using PFI funds. However, these projects immediately drew criticism that they are too big. Doddrell said that it would be very difficult for the Government to deliver on dual banding for SRC. But he was looking into a scheme for agricultural certificates to help energy crops.

Smaller scale projects were also still struggling to get going. The North Tawton Environmental Trust (Devon) gave a good presentation on how a voluntary group can motivate a small town to support ambitious renewable energy projects. Their work has been stalled for a year because the projects do not fit into the MAFF/DETR/DTI frameworks. However, it seems that they may have now found sources of funding to enable things to move ahead.

Meanwhile though, some ‘dual fuel’ ideas are emerging from more conventional players. For example, Powergen is looking at the feasibility of co-firing straw with coal at its Rushcliffe (Nottingham) power station. Their bottom line is cost. If they are allowed to count the use of straw towards their 10% obligation and the cost is less than the buy-out price, then this kind of co-firing could be a possibility. They might perhaps look for support from the DTI under its Cleaner Coal programme. But is that really how energy crops are to finally make it ?

..more help needed

The government must not allow biomass to be strangled at birth because without it this country will find it impossible to meet its green energy targets’  So said the East Midlands region of the Country Land and Business Association.

They called for a ‘dual- banding’ system within the Renewables Obligation, to provide special support for plants using energy crops, and they see energy crops as creating desperately needed rural jobs.

But not content with that, the wider UK bioenergy lobby seems to want to go further and has asked for all of the £50 million promised by the DTI for energy crops and offshore wind, under the Lottery's New Opportunities Fund, to go to energy crops, on the grounds that the government has already allocated £45 millions to offshore wind and also that these new funds are to be made available under Section 10 (Transforming Communities) of the Lottery grant rules*. The development of energy from crops could play an important role in developing and sustaining rural communities. But, as one wag put it, there are no rural communities in the North Sea!

*Section 10 is a section of a consultation document published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport last October entitled "New Opportunities from the Lottery, Proposals for the New Opportunities Fund"

..but ARBRE boosts wood fuel

There may not yet be enough wood from short rotation coppices available for the ARBRE wood combustion plant in Yorkshire, but wood which would normally be wasted or left to rot after felling will also be used. This will provide a new source of local income and employment, according to. Kielder Forest Products Ltd of Northumbria, who have secured a five year contract to supply chipped wood to Project ARBRE at Selby, which is owned by the Kelda Group (Yorkshire Water).

In addition to these brashings, short rotation coppice is on the way. Fuel crops such as willow and poplar are now being planted, and ARBRE already has 1100 hectares of SRC growing.

Simon Waugh of Kielder Forest Products, in conjunction with Border Biofuels, is growing 22 hectares. Simon sees his contract as the first of more to follow, and already additional power stations are being planned in North Yorkshire, Suffolk and Cumbria. "I believe that the introduction of energy crops will help the depressed agricultural industry as long term contracts for woodfuel will be available. This will help rural employment. As well as direct labour, we are also employing local sub-contractors in haulage and forestry."

Contact Simon at kfpwaugh@dircon.co.uk   (Tel: 01670 775346) Or see http://www.kfpwaugh.dirconco.uk

Project ARBRE is an 8 megawatt power station- the UK’s first wood gasification plant. It will burn 80,000 tonnes of wood per annum. Further info on wood as a fuel:

British Biogen, Rear North Suite 7th Floor, 63-66 Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8LE info@britishbiogen.co.uk  Tel: 0207 831 7222 ARBRE Energy Ltd, No 3 the Embankment, Sovereign Street, Leeds,LS1 4BJ

North Energy, Old Queen’s Head Yard, 7b Oldgate, Morpeth Northumberland, NE61 1AS Tel: 01670 516949

bridget@northenergy.co.uk

Energy crops were the topic special House of Commons debate in Jan- but the focus was mainly on the urgent issue of liquid fuels for transport usage.

Thanks to Christopher Pym for some of material for this report.