Environmental campaigners' concerns continue over new Peterhead power plant
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Climate campaigners say that Aberdeenshire councillors have spurned the chance to trigger a public inquiry into SSE's "climate trashing" proposal for a new gas fired power plant at Peterhead.
Energy giant SSE wants to build an extra 910MW gas fired power station to run alongside the existing plant which Friends of the Earth said is already Scotland’s most polluting site.
The campaign group outlined that the company was forced to admit that the new plant will increase emissions from the site which already creates more than 1 million tonnes of climate changing gas each year.
SSE says the new plant would connect into the wider carbon capture, utilisation and storage infrastructure being developed by the UK Government and will ultimately replace the existing station.
The company said this will deliver huge emissions reductions and the plant will help to keep the lights on, facilitate the transition to net zero and create jobs in the region.
Members of the Aberdeenshire Council infrastructure services committee voted to support the application on Thursday.
Scottish Government Ministers will make the final decision on whether to approve the plan.
Friends of the Earth Scotland climate campaigner Alex Lee said: “Aberdeenshire Councillors have spurned the opportunity to trigger a public inquiry into SSE's climate trashing proposal for a new gas plant at Peterhead.
“SSE has admitted that the Peterhead fossil gas plant will worsen Scotland’s climate pollution so the Scottish Government must reject this project.
"If Ministers were to give new fossil fuel infrastructure like this the green light, it would only benefit greedy energy firms and those companies who want to keep households locked into costly oil and gas for decades to come.
"The plans for the new power station are built on the rotten foundations of carbon capture, a technology with a long, inglorious history of repeated failures.
"Experience shows us that carbon capture, if it is ever added, will not work at the rates promised by industry, and mean we fall even further behind our climate targets.
“When it comes to Peterhead power station, the Scottish Government has the power and responsibility to stop this climate damaging project once and for all.
"The future of the north-east of Scotland must be built on clean, affordable renewable energy and the decent green jobs that can come with it, putting the needs of workers and communities at the very heart of transition planning.”
A spokesperson for SSE Thermal said: “Carbon capture technology will be essential to decarbonising the power system on the way to net zero.
"Both the Scottish and UK Governments recognise that, with the latter recently outlining plans to invest £20 billion in CCUS over the next 20 years.
“As the UK’s only flexible power station north of Leeds, decarbonising Peterhead is of the utmost importance which is why we continue to progress plans for the new Peterhead Carbon Capture Power Station, which would provide vital backup to renewables while being low-carbon in its own right.
“The new plant, which would connect into the wider CCS infrastructure being developed by UK Government, will ultimately replace the existing station, which we have already said we don’t foresee running unabated beyond the end of this decade.
“This will deliver huge emissions reductions and the reality is the project will not proceed unless it can capture at least 90 per cent of emissions. Indeed, we are working to secure even higher capture rates.
“Ultimately, Peterhead Carbon Capture Power Station will help to keep the lights on, facilitate the transition to net zero and create jobs in the region.”
