Three biomass power stations costing around £2bn are to be built by the Yorkshire-based power company Drax.
Drax, which operates the UK’s largest power station in North Yorkshire, is linking up with Siemens on the project announced in London yesterday.
Sites in Immingham and Hull have been secured, while the company is progressing options for the third location, including land at the Drax power station.
Images of logs, wood chips and pellets were displayed in Drax’s media presentation of the plans – with the energy material likely to be imported.
Each of the planned biomass-fired plants would be 300MW, with construction hoped to start in late 2010 and the first plant due to be commissioned in 2014.
Drax said its biomass demand is a small fraction (0.4%) of global forestry biomass potential from commercially managed forests worldwide.
“Based on current estimates, once all three plants are operational, Drax will be responsible for supplying at least 15% of the UK’s renewable power and up to 10% of total UK electricity,” Drax said.
