Archived press release

PowerGen decision is death blow for Orimulsion in the UK

25 September 1996

Gordon James Senior Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said

"The decision to stop the tests in Richborough and now Ince marks the end of a trouble ridden and polluting experiment with Orimulsion. Surely now National Power will see sense and withdraw their application in Pembroke and put their money into pollution abatement in coal stations, combined heat and power stations (CHP), clean renewable sources of energy and energy efficiency schemes" [2]

Gordon James who has been working on National Power's proposals in Pembrokeshire went on to say:

"This is another nail in the coffin for National Power's proposals to burn Orimulsion in Britain. PowerGen have realised that Orimulsion isn't the economic panacea that others would have us believe. It is the hidden costs associated with this filthy fuel, which corroded machinery, damaged cars and risked people's health which has caused such concern and changed PowerGen's view"

NOTES

[1] PowerGen Press Release 25 September 1996 "Ince Power Station to Close; Unit Brought Back From Reserve At Fiddlers Ferry"

[2] National Power CoGen is already operating a CHP plant in Wales

[3] Orimulsion has received a number of set-backs in recent months:

. Richborough Power Station which burnt orimulsion from 1990 stopped generation in March this year. Recently it has been the subject of a legal battle surrounding the impacts of burning this dirty fuel on the local environment.

. In April an orimulsion proposal, similar to the current one by National Power in Pembrokeshire, was rejected in the Florida, United States because of environmental concerns.

. In July National Power's plans to import and burn orimulsion in Pembrokeshire were delayed by the intervention of the Welsh Secretary to prevent planning permission being granted for construction of a jetty to import orimulsion at Milford Haven.

[4] Orimulsion has been labelled the world's dirtiest fuel. Imported from Venezuela, it is a mixture of bitumen and water and has a gender-bender chemical added to it. A spill of orimulsion would potentially be worse than an oil spill because orimulsion,unlike oil, does not float on the surface, but dissolves in the water making it almost impossible to clean up. It would then be take up by marine plants and animals and build up in the food chain posing a risk to wildlife and human health.Environmentalists are also concerned about the risks to health from the release of toxic dust when orimulsion is burned in power stations.

[5] A recent public opinion survey, conducted by Robertson Bell Associates Limited, revealed that three in four Pembrokeshire residents (75%) think there should be a public inquiry into the proposal to import and burn orimulsion at Pembrokeshire Power Station, including 82% of those living close to the Power Station.

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