Firm seeks to increase fuel capacity to 350,000 tonnes a year at proposed £200m energy centre
A firm seeking to build a £200m energy centre on a former colliery in North Yorkshire is looking to amend its planning consent to increase the fuel for the facility from 280,000 tonnes to 350,000 tonnes per year.
Plans for Southmoor Energy Centre at the former Kellingley Colliery site were originally consented by North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) in 2015. Peel Environmental, part of Peel L&P, has been working with development partners to bring forward the facility and plan to be on site later this year.
The company is now proposing to make some changes to the existing planning permission, one of which is to increase the fuel for the facility from 280,000 tonnes to 350,000 tonnes per year. The firm said this was to help divert more waste away from landfill and generate more low carbon energy – enough to power over 73,000 homes.
Peel Environment is also in discussions with a construction partner, fuel supplier and funders for the £200m project.
A Section 73 planning application to amend the plans has been submitted to NYCC and is expected to be considered in the Summer. Peel Environmental said there would be a minimal increase in traffic movements compared to the previously consented plans, with an extra 14 Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) movements, due to HGVs being able to take more waste per vehicle.
The fuel for the energy centre will be brought to the site via junction 34 of the M62. HGVs will enter the site via a newly constructed access point on the A645 Weeland Road.
Richard Barker, development manager at Peel Environmental, said: “Since getting planning approval in 2015 we have been working hard to make the plans a reality. The Southmoor Energy Centre would deliver significant investment into the former colliery site, which is recognised as being an important location for energy infrastructure.”
The new energy centre will create around 40 jobs and save 50,000 tonnes of CO2 each year. It will also be able to supply low carbon electricity and heat directly to surrounding businesses, including those planned for the rest of the former colliery site.
“It addresses two of the great challenges of our generation – how we deal with our waste better and where we get our energy from. In delivering Southmoor, we’ll create skilled jobs, drive investment into North Yorkshire and deliver environmental benefits such as dramatic CO2 savings and diverting waste from landfill.”
