Meeting with E.On about Ironbridge Power Station

24 April 2012
IMMEDIATE
Press release

Representatives of local and national Friends of the Earth met on Monday with officers of E.On to discuss the proposed conversion of Ironbridge Power Station to enable the large scale burning of imported wood fuel pellets.

Key issues discussed included E.On's application to the Environment Agency for a permit variation to burn the wood fuel, the possible sourcing of fuel from clear felled North American forests, the validity of treating such wood fuel as 'carbon-neutral' and E.On's commitment to cease completely electricity generation by the end of 2015.

Telford Friends of the Earth had asked the Environment Agency to open E.On's application for a permit variation to full public consultation, in line with commitments made to Shropshire councillors that 'the air emission implications of the change in base fuel would be assessed thoroughly under the permit amendment application which the Environment Agency were considering.' The Environment Agency has refused this request for wider consultation and assessment.

Robert Saunders, Co-ordinator, Telford FOE, said:
'E.On's officers could not provide an immediate answer so we await their response to our call for the Environment Agency putting the permit variation application to full public consultation. It is disappointing that this is being fought for when the company's air quality assessment was signed off for publication by E.on in early February. This should have been made available for wider thorough assessment many weeks ago.'

Friends of the Earth highlighted that the most recent scientific research indicates that clear felling of forests for wood fuel is not carbon-neutral in its climate change impacts. Industrial-scale use of forest biomass for energy production would likely reverse the process of carbon storage in forests or at least reduce the carbon sink strength of forests. E.On's officers confirmed that the wood fuel would come from a range of sources including clear felling as well as forestry residues, sawdust and so on. An E.On officer confirmed that it does need to consider carbon debt as an issue.
Kenneth Richter, Friends of the Earth's Biofuels Campaigner, said: 'Recent research suggests that burning wood for power generation can initially result in more greenhouse gas emissions than coal and it can take between 30 and several hundred years before any carbon reduction benefit can be achieved.

With the crisis we face over climate change today we have to reduce carbon emissions now - not in several decades time. We welcome E.On's recognition that burning wood fuel is not carbon-neutral. The Government must end subsidies to biomass power stations that rely on wood imports from overseas that are a threat to the world's forests and may even increase climate-changing emissions.'

Robert Saunders, Co-ordinator, Telford FOE, said: 'Regarding the future of Ironbridge Power Station, E.On confirmed it has no plans to continue electricity generation beyond 2015. It views the cost of bringing the station up to the necessary standards being similar to building a new power station. We will write to E.On asking that they advise us directly should any plans come into preparation or be initiated to continue electricity production beyond 2015.'

ENDS
Contact: Robert Saunders, Co-ordinator, Telford Friends of the Earth. Tel. 01952 253705 07976 697931
Kenneth Richter, Biofuels Campaigner, Land Use, Food and Water Security Programme, Friends of the Earth. Tel. 020 7566 1671 075 9006 3454