FAQs

How will it work?

Facts about Biomass Renewable Energy Plants

Fact 1. Key figures:

	Dundee	Grangemouth	Rosyth	Leith	Scotland
Renewable Electricity produced	100MWe	100MWe	100MWe	200MWe	500MWe for Scotland
Amount of renewable heat produced	30MWth	200MWth	30MWth	60MWth	320MWth for Scotland
Fuel input (up to) tonnes/year [1]	1 million	1.5 million	1 million	1.8 million [2]	5.3 million total input from plants in Scotland
Capable of producing % of Electrical Needs	86% Dundee City	92% of Falkirk area	42% of Fife area	54% of City of Edinburgh	14% of Scotland
Comparative heat production to	Heat Ninewells hospital more than 6 times over each year	Heat more than 158 Grangemouth Sports Complex 25m swimming pools	Heat the 132 bedroom Dakota in South Queensferry more than 73 times each year	Heat 22,000 standard 3 bed semi-detached family homes, and provide enough heat for the proposed Leith Docks Development (around 16000 homes)	33% of Scotland's 11% heat target 23% of which is at Grangemouth [3]

[1] - Dependent upon calorific value of the fuel.

[2] - This figure is not double that for 100MWe because we are assuming a greater percentage (92% compared to 85%) of material with a higher energy content (10GJ/Te vs 7GJ/Te) is being imported therefore lower total fuel volume.

[3] - 320MWth can produce 2,200GWh of heat compared to a Scotland 2020 target of 6,420GWh of heat (Renewable Heat Action Plan for Scotland http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/11/04154534/0)

Fact 2. The plants have been designed to provide renewable low carbon heat.
There is an opportunity to provide renewable heat to serve each of the plant's local areas. Forth Energy has undertaken heat mapping and consulted with a number of potential local users of renewable heat. We are currently looking at how best to realise the benefits of using renewable heat, including the opportunity to attract new businesses in the area.

Forth Energy has commissioned a report by the David Livingstone Centre for Sustainability which is based at the University of Strathclyde. The report explores the possible business co-location opportunities which may be stimulated at the ports due to the availability of high quality renewable heat from the proposed plants. A number of opportunities have been identified and Forth Energy is committed to exploring their further assessment with interested parties.

Fact 3. Emissions from the plant
The proposed renewable energy plants must demonstrate that it will comply with strict air quality guidelines in order for the Scottish Government to grant consent for the project.

The scale and height of the plant stack has been designed to ensure that strict European and Scottish standards are met and that emissions from the plant will have no significant impacts on the local area. The plant will be designed and operated with control systems that ensure all relevant air quality standards and guidelines are achieved. The operation of these control and monitoring systems will be audited by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

Further information will be provided within the Air Quality Chapter of the Environmental Statement which will be submitted in support of each application. The Dundee Renewable Energy plant Environmental Statement is available for download from here

Fact 4. The fuel mix for the plants
The fuel mix to be used at the plants will include 70-90% wood chip/ pellets from virgin wood and forestry derived energy crops and residues. The remaining 10-30% will be sourced from purposely grown energy crops (e.g. eucalyptus), agricultural residues (dry residues including bedding straw) and recovered biomass material (uncontaminated wood, paper and cardboard).

Fact 5. Where the fuel will come from
The majority of the fuel will be imported from sustainable sources overseas including Scandinavia, the Baltics and the Americas. We are currently developing a sustainable fuel procurement strategy which will be used to guide and support the next phase of the development.

Fact 6. Why the majority of fuel be sourced from overseas
Due to the limited availability of biomass fuel in Scotland and the UK on the scale required for the plants, we expect to use predominantly imported, sustainably produced wood. A small proportion may consist of recovered timber, paper and cardboard from local sources. As the majority of wood will be imported from abroad, there will be limited impact on the Scottish timber market.

Fact 7. Socio- Economic Advantages of the Plants

• Job creation of around 300 to 500 construction jobs and 40 full time operational jobs per plant.
• Additional port jobs related to fuel handling at each Port.
• Training and apprenticeship opportunities.
• Creating contracting opportunities for local suppliers.
• Significant contribution to the local and Scottish economy

Myths about Biomass Renewable Energy Plants

Myth 1. Burning biomass will produce more carbon than burning coal

Biomass is a low carbon source of renewable energy that offers significant benefits over traditional fossil fuels. The renewable energy plants will save 89% to 93% of the carbon emissions associated with a traditional coal fired power station. This includes the carbon dioxide produced from the harvesting, processing and transportation of the fuel, including shipping. The Forth Energy renewable energy plants will be a reliable source of renewable energy, in the form of both low carbon electricity and heat. The renewable energy plant’s will generate energy on a continuous basis and will be an integral element of the U.K’s renewable generation asset base.
Over the lifecycle of the project, it is estimated that each renewable energy plant will make significant saving of carbon emissions, in comparison to a traditional coal fired power station, as follows;

• Dundee - 2.8 million tonnes
• Grangemouth - 3.2 million tonnes
• Rosyth - 2.8 million tonnes
• Leith - 5.6 million tonnes

An independent response to the recent Manomet ‘ Biomass Sustainability and Carbon Policy’ study has been provided by the Scottish Institute of Sustainable Technology (SIStech) and can be found here

Myth 2. Burning biomass causes local air pollution and health hazards

The renewable energy plants will have no significant adverse impacts on human health.

Particulates are tiny subdivisions of solid or liquid matter suspended in a gas or liquid. Air quality objectives have been set for particulate matter because of the relationships between airborne levels and potential human health effects. To obtain a permit to operate, any emissions from the plant have to be modelled using sophisticated computer-based dispersion modelling software simulations of local atmospheric and meteorological conditions. The results of this modelling must verify that the emissions from the plant will fall below strict levels set by the European Union and SEPA. The plant will be designed with particulate filters located at the base of the main stack which will remove the particulates from the flue gases. Plant emissions (including PM2.5 and PM10) will be monitored in real time throughout operation every 15 minutes to ensure that a high level of particulate removal efficiency is maintained. If emission limits are not met, Forth Energy will not be permitted to continue operations at the plant.

Myth 3. Large scale biomass imports will have a detrimental impact on Forests

Forth Energy proposes to use only sustainably sourced fuel. All fuel will be sourced from forestry activities which have been certified as sustainable by an internationally recognised third party. This means that as a minimum, any trees harvested will be replaced as a minimum. In so doing, Forth Energy shall ensure that the fuel procurement process maintains high standards on environmental, social and economic grounds, including;

• Environment - protecting biodiversity and contributing to significant reductions in greenhouse gases in comparison to equivalent energy production from fossil fuels.
• Social - avoiding competition with food, maintaining soil and water quality, and ensuring the sustainability of water supplies.
• Economic - supporting the economic wellbeing and health and safety of the population in the areas where our biomass is grown.

In order for the project to deliver the projected carbon savings it is, of course, necessary to ensure that the fuel sources are sustainable. Forth Energy has stated its commitment to ensuring that all forest derived sources are certified by suitable, internationally accepted sustainability certification systems. Further information on the Sustainability of the plants will be provided in the Sustainability statement which will accompany each application. Forth Energy’s position with relation to maintaining the sustainability of fuel supplies is available for download form here

Myth 4. There is an unsustainable demand for wood products
Forth Energy has carried out fuel studies to confirm the availability and sustainability of fuel supplies for our proposed plants. Further independent research is in progress to refine our fuel availability and supply chains. SIStech have provided an interim statement on the sustainability research being conducted on potential biomass fuel supply and demand for Forth Energy which is available to download from here.

Myth 5. The demand for biomass will displace food crops
Forth Energy will seek to encourage and promote forestry activities on land where agriculture is not viable and where there are no concerns with respect to carbon emissions from land use change.