Proposals by Forth Energy to build four biomass power plants in Dundee, Rosyth, Grangemouth and Leith docks are touring Scotland. The Forth Energy proposals for the Leith plant are on display on the 11th (5-8pm), 12th (10am-6pm) and 13th (10am-1pm) of February in Ocean Terminal. We’d recommend that everyone who’s interested in the Forth Energy proposals takes the time to let Forth Energy know their opinion on the plans. But not before you’ve read this!

In an earlier post Greener Leith highlighted our initial thoughts on the proposal - and that got lot's of comments, along with some debate on the Greener Leith Social. We had a chance to put some of the questions that people have raised about the plans to the Managing Director of Forth Energy in person. We’re grateful to Forth Energy for speaking to us, as they’re under no legal obligation to consult with anyone except the council, SEPA, and SNH at this stage.

Below we give a brief summary of the feedback we got.

Question 1: Why do you want to build a Biomass Powerstation on that particular site? People are concerned about the size and scale of the plant that's proposed.

Forth Energy: We did consider other sites, like further east towards Seafield, but this is the most viable site. This is because it minimises the need for double handling of the fuel for the plant - most of it will come in by boat. There are areas on the docks that are protected because of nesting birds that the development must not come into conflict with. Also, the closer the plant is to potential users of the heat it produces - the more efficient it will be. If the plant is put at the Seafield end of the docks then more of the heat produced will be lost as the pipe that transports it to the end users will be longer.The proposed power plant is big, but there are plenty of examples from across Europe that show that this type of plant can integrate with residential or mixed use developments.

Our Comment: The size and scale of the plant will certainly provide the best financial return for Forth Energy. We are not in a position to know whether other sites would be financially viable, or whether it's feasible to build a smaller power plant with less visual impact. It is true, however, that there are examples of other places where Biomass powered Combined Heat Power (CHP) plants are integrated into mixed use redevelopments, but few are of the scale proposed for Leith Docks. If a much smaller one makes financial sense in Manchester, and won awards in the process - why can't this be replicated, perhaps many times over, in Leith?

Question 2: But what about plans to develop the rest of the docks? Won't this proposal put off other developers from building in and around the docks?

Forth Energy: The outline planning agreement that Forth Ports has been developing for many years, is an indicative document that has a timescale of at least 40 years. We've thought long and hard about this proposal, and if we felt that it would slow the pace of regeneration on the docks then we would not go ahead with the development. We do not believe that the power plant proposals will have any impact on land values.

On the contrary, there's a danger that with the current recession in the property market that building could come to a complete halt. This development helps to maintain the momentum of development in the area.

The site proposed for the power plant was not due to be built on for at least 20 years anyway. By the time developments around Ocean Terminal and Western Harbour are complete and redevelopment starts to move eastwards then we may come to the decision to demolish the powerplant at a later date.

If people are concerned about the loss of proposed green space in the docks, we can give assurances that future developments in the area will need to incorporate green space as part of the detailed master planning required before building can begin.

We have no plans to start work on another master plan for the whole area.

Our Comment: Even if you're fully signed up to the need to build low carbon energy sources now, it seems extraordinary to try to deny that the development will be seen as a 'bad neighbour' by many people. It will surely have a negative effect on land values in and around the docks. We'd like to see Forth Ports produce a revised plan for the whole docks - even if it is just "indicative." No-one knows what the economic situation will be in 40 years time, but that doesn't mean development should take place in a piecemeal fashion, anytime someone comes along with a 'financially viable' proposal. A lot of decisions about public investment in the area have been, and will continue to be, taken by council officials based on the Outline Plan for the docks area. A good neighbour, that is set to benefit tremendously from public investment in schemes like the tram, should make their long term intentions clear.

With regards to new green space in the area, GL has long been a keen supporter of constructing the parks, before the buildings. In Leith overall, there is a shortage of quality green space relative to the rest of the city. We would like to see more green space be allocated in other parts of the docks that are likely to be built on in the next 20 years.

Question 3: What about the Grain Store? Isn't that a category B listed building?

Forth Energy: Yes, it is a listed building. The reason it is listed is because it is an early example of a building with a full height conveyor belt - not because of its appearance. To build the power plant we'll need to get permission to demolish it. Originally, it was suggested that this building could be adapted to perform some sort of cultural function. Like the Baltic centre for contemporary art in Newcastle. However, the 'cultural building' in the original OPA has been incorporated into the Leith Harbour regeneration plans, and in any case, the building doesn't lend itself to easy re-use, as it is filled with concrete vertical silos.

Our Comment: Whilst it's a shame that this building will not be re-used, how many people are really attached to the Grain Silo building? There are more attractive ‘cultural buildings’ that could fulfill that role such as the Leith Theatre and the Leith Museum. If there is any investment in a cultural building in Leith we think it should be in one of those projects.

Question 4: People are concerned that if the Power plant is built on the scale proposed there will be a huge increase in the amount of lorry traffic in the area. Using your figures, we estimate this could result in as many as 10,000 lorry journeys per year. There are already concerns about the health impacts of traffic on local air quality on many of the main streets in Leith.

Forth Energy: We can't pretend that we won't need to use trucks to get some of the fuel in, and ash out from the plant. However, we question your figures, and we'll get our transport engineers to make an estimate of the maximum number of lorry loads the plant would be likely to generate. We should emphasise that we intend to bring as much of the fuel in by boat as we can. We've said that a maximum of 30% would come by road, but we'd hope that figure would be lower. We've not costed whether rail will be a viable means of transporting fuel in or out of the plant.

Our Comment: We're sticking with our figures - as Forth Energy can't come up with their own and show their working. If anything, ours are on the low side, as we're assuming that each truck is full, and we've not even considered truck journeys to remove the ash. We'll be urging planning officials to demand that a much higher percentage of the fuel and ash is moved by boat or by rail that the amounts proposed by Forth Energy.

Question 5: Communities all around Scotland receive payments from new energy schemes to help compensate local people for the negative consequences that arise from this kind of development. Will Forth Energy consider making an annual payment to something like a 'Leith Climate Challenge Fund,' if this development gets the go ahead?

Forth Energy: Although we can't commit to that at this stage, it's certainly something that we'd be willing to consider and discuss further.

Our Comment: Communities around a wind farm in East Lothian receive a payment of £200,000 per year from the developers - and that wind farm generates half the energy that the proposed plant by Forth Energy would produce. If Forth Ports get the go ahead to develop a power plant on the scale they propose, then we believe the local community should be entitled to a share in the profits of the venture - and that this should be used to promote sustainable development in the neighbourhood - for example, it could help Leithers who currently live in fuel poverty cut their fuel bills, by paying for better insulation and more efficient heating systems. This would help to ensure that the whole of Leith benefits from developments in the docks.

Question 6: There are a huge number of Biomass power schemes planned all over the world. How will you ensure that fuel you use will be genuinely sustainable and carbon neutral?

Forth Energy: There is currently no certification scheme for Biomass fuel, but we are committed to sourcing our it as sustainably as we possibly can. We're awaiting the development of an EU biomass standard. We've no intention of propping up the Russian mafia!

Our Comment: Until such times as there is an established internationally recognised standard for sustainable biomass, we think Forth Energy should commit to an annual audit of their fuel sources by a suitably qualified third party organisation, who will make their assessment public. After all, without this oversight, there will be no guarantee that the plant will indeed be providing low carbon energy.

Our Conclusion

Greener Leith has argued all along that truly sustainable regeneration in the docks area must incorporate some form of district heating system - and this is still something that we'd like to see. However, we question whether a plant of this scale, on this site, is really what local residents would want. Given that smaller commercially viable plants have been built recently in other parts of the UK, we think that it would be financially feasible to build one or more plants throughout the docks - although they may not provide the same return on investment for commercial investors.

Whatever scale of plant Forth Energy do eventually build on the docks, we believe that local residents should be entitled to benefit from a community fund that disburses a proportion of the profits made by the plant to a Leith Climate Challenge Fund that would promote sustainable development locally, and make sure that all Leithers get some benefit from the development on the docks.