British utility to build 80 MW biomass plant in Cumbria

Centrica, the British utility company, has announced that it plans to build an 80-megawatt (MW) biomass plant in the English county of Cumbria.

The construction of the plant is scheduled to start in 2013, with the biomass facility set to be commissioned in 2016.

“It will predominantly burn wood fibers such as pellets and chips which we'll source it in the UK where possible,” a Centrica spokesman told Reuters. The spokesman added that Centrica are currently putting together a formal planning application to the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC), which will be submitted towards the middle of next year.

The biomass facility will be located on the site of the existing 230-MW Roosecote gas-fired power station, which will be decommissioned once the Centrica project gets up and running. The gas-fired power plant has been operational for almost twenty years.

The principle plans also include the installation of a series of loading and handling facilities at Barrow Docks to unload imported biomass fuel from ships.

Earlier this year, Centrica withdrew its planning application for a new gas-fired power plant in the North Lincolnshire town of Brigg. The utility firm stated that it was looking at alternative sites for the facility, whilst not ruling out altogether the possibility of extending the lifetime of the firm’s 260-MW gas plant located nearby.

In August this year, Drax Power Ltd was given the green light to build two more 229 MW biomass plants in Yorkshire.