Please object to biomass power station in Norwich

In the centre of Norwich, “Generation Park” want to build the UK’s biggest straw-burning power station. It would burn up to 250,000tonnes of straw pellets a year – and if the company cannot get enough straw then they might burn wood instead.

If the power station was built it would

Cause more air pollution in an already heavily polluted area, part of which has been declared an Air Quality Management Area by the local authority because legal nitrogen dioxide limits are not expected to be met. The main air pollutants emitted by biomass power stations are linked to respiratory and cardiac disease and to strokes;
Contribute to climate change: According to the UK Bioenergy Strategy, carbon emissions from straw power stations are even higher than those from natural gas power plant. Straw is very bulky, leading to high emissions from transporting it – and if too much straw is removed from fields, carbon will be lost from soils;
Threaten the future of pig farmers: Pig farmers rely on straw for animal bedding and as a food supplement. If straw prices go up because too much straw gets burned in power stations, small-scale farmers are the first to face ruin. Generation Park Norwich claim that there’s enough straw available because cereal farmers could sell more and use less on their soils – but if cereal farmers decide otherwise (because they don’t want to risk depleting their soils), pig farmers will lose out. This is bad news for rural jobs. And if small farmers are forced out of business, big factory farms will be the winners – at the expense of animal welfare and the environment.

Norwich residents’ group Say NO2 Norwich Biomass is calling on people living in and near the city to object to the proposed “Generation Park Norwich” biomass power station. For more information, please see their briefing ‘Ten myths about Generation Park‘. The planning application can be found here.

If you have the time then please personalise your objection letter below. The letter below will be automatically sent to planning@norwich.gov.uk . Many thanks

To:planning@norwich.gov.uk

Dear Mr Brown,

I wish to object to the outline application submitted by Generation Park Norwich for Utilities Site and Deal Ground Norwich.  My objection relates to the proposed biomass power station, including the gasification plant.

My grounds for objection are as follows:

1. I am deeply concerned about the air quality and public health impacts of the proposed power station.  The site is in the centre of an urban area much of which has been declared an Air Quality Management Area, i.e. an area where legal nitrogen dioxide limits are already being exceeded or at a high risk of being exceeded.  Biomass power stations are a significant contributor to NO2 emissions and burning straw is associated with higher NO2 emissions than burning other types of biomass.  I believe that such an additional source of pollution is incompatible with the protection of public health.

2. I believe that the proposed power station does not constitute a sustainable development.  Firstly, the UK Bioenergy Strategy 2012 states that average greenhouse gas emissions from dedicated straw-burning power stations are even higher than those from natural gas power stations (per unit of energy) – which means that far from mitigating climate change, the proposed power plant would worsen it.  And secondly, I am deeply concerned about the threat which this new demand for straw would pose to small-scale pig farmers in the region and thereby to local jobs.  Generation Park Norwich claims that sufficient straw is available for both pig farmers and this proposed power station plus other straw burning power stations already approved or built in East Anglia and Lincolnshire.  However, straw is not ‘available’ unless cereal farmers decide to sell it and there is no evidence that cereal farmers are willing to sell any more of it, rather than incorporating it into their soils.

3. I am concerned about the local impacts which will be caused by noise and additional traffic.

Yours faithfully,

Your name and address as entered below will be added. You do not need to add your name above.

Name: *

Email: *

Address 1: *

Address 2:

Postcode: *

Send me alerts about related campaigns.

93 people have taken part in this action. Please contact alerts@biofuelwatch.org.uk if you have any difficulties or queries.