Following consultation with Blue –NG, local residents and several national environmental groups, Blackrod and Horwich Environmental Action Group will be objecting to plans to build a renewable energy plant on the outskirts of Blackrod.
Less than 25% of people attending the recent pre-application consultation approved of the proposal. When it was pointed out that the plant will not create 250 construction jobs for local people and was unlikely to create the 66 local agricultural jobs reported in the press, together with the fact that despite reducing carbon emissions the overall effect of the plant may increase global warming a straw poll suggested that support would further reduce.
A spokesperson for Residents Against Greenbelt Exploitation (RAGE) comments “The plant is simply too big, on protected Green Belt land, and its environmental credentials are questionable. There are thousands of gas reduction plants around the UK It is proposed to be located at a gas reduction plant, miles away from the fuel source, miles away from the electrical grid, with little or no opportunity to utilise the waste heat – all key points in choosing appropriate locations.”
Potentially an area greater than Manchester planted with rape seed. National groups are concerned about the impact to Global warming, and directly or indirectly the effect that the plant will have in protected habitats, most notably the rain forests and tropical peatlands where palm oil plantations are devastating the environment and causing human right’s abuses. Where land is already in agricultural use the argument moves to food not fuel, with the potential for millions of people to be pushed into food poverty as food crops are replaced by fuel crops.
We have never had such a large number of concerned residents contacting us about a planning proposal at this early stage. It is likely that this will be our largest ever campaign.
We have also been contacted by several national groups including Biofuel Watch http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/ , Friends of the Earth and the Green Party, who have all expressed concerns about the proposals.
Blue-NG have not yet submitted a planning application to Bolton Council.
If an application is to be progressed it expected to be lodged in the next few weeks, at which time we will be able to consider the proposal in more detail
Regular updates will appear on this site, with an anylsis of the fuel options later this week.
The Bolton News asked me to comment on the BHEAG decision to oppose our plans. I thought it would be useful to put our full response here:
“Blue-NG is very disappointed that BHEAG declined to meet with us this week and indicated they do not want any further engagement. We would have welcomed the opportunity to demonstrate that we are part of the mix of renewables that need to be developed to tackle climate change and keep the lights on in a sustainable way. To state that we make climate change worse flies in the face of evidence to the contrary which has been independently researched and audited by among others, a consultancy that advises the government in these matters. We do not use palm oil and our sustainable procurement policy was drawn up with the help of Greenpeace and not only meets, but exceeds UK and EU sustainability standards.
Blue-NG has yet to submit a detailed planning application. We are currently considering the points and concerns raised in our public consultation process. These will be taken into consideration when we submit our planning application in due course.
The figure quoted for land use does not take into account the likelihood that up to 25% of the fuel will be used cooking oil not oil from rape. I anticipate that by the time of our final application, the amount of land needed to fuel a Blackrod plant will be far, far smaller than that quoted. Besides, oilseed rape is an established break crop used in 3 to 4 year cycles of crop rotation. Given that 86% of the crop will go straight back into the food chain (as fertiliser or animal feed) and 13% used for our oil, what is the issue with a crop where 99% of the plant is used either for food or energy production?
I would urge BHEAG, local residents and their elected representatives to study our final application in detail before making their minds up and to continue to engage with us. I am confident they will recognise that we have taken into account local opinion.”
Richard Lyddon
Head of Communications
BHEAG have declined a meeting this week and a trip to Germany as we are concerned that until details of the application are submitted there is potentially a moving field. We have not declined future engagement and continue to have a dialogue.
You indicate there is a “likelihood that up to 25% of the fuel will be used cooking oil.” At our recent meeting with yourselves we were told that commercial quantities of used cooking oil were not currently available to yourselves, as the majority of available used cooking oil was already being used for fuelling cars. We understand these businesses already have a massive shortfall of suitable biofuel.
In your e-mail to me on Monday 2nd August you stated ““We thank you for your various invitations to further meetings but these will not change the basis of our objections and therefore we decline these invitations.”
Now you say that “We have not declined future engagement and continue to have a dialogue.”
That’s good news.