View Full Version : Georgemas Combined heat & Power Plant
Tubthumper
23-Dec-09, 13:15
I saw a news item in the Groat a few weeks ago about this proposal. the report seemed to say it was foregone conclusion, but I'd heard nothing about it beforehand. Anyone got any info, e/g who's building it? Who's getting the free heat? Where's the fuel coming from? Has planning permission been granted? Is there any information available? Can I buy shares? Can I register my support or opposition?
tonkatojo
23-Dec-09, 13:21
I saw a news item in the Groat a few weeks ago about this proposal. the report seemed to say it was foregone conclusion, but I'd heard nothing about it beforehand. Anyone got any info, e/g who's building it? Who's getting the free heat? Where's the fuel coming from? Has planning permission been granted? Is there any information available? Can I buy shares? Can I register my support or opposition?
Where was it going to be built Tubs ?.
tonkatojo
23-Dec-09, 13:28
Hmm I am a dip LOL.
TWO biomass plants are due to be built in Caithness within the next 12 to 18 months at a cost of £35 million, it was confirmed yesterday.
The combined heat and power plants will be constructed at Georgemas and Forss as part of a £300m investment package which has been launched by London-based private equity firm Invicta Capital.
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It has joined forces with local company New Park, which runs the business and technology park at Forss, to create a joint venture - Invicta New Park Limited - to run the two Far North plants and a further seven which are planned in other parts of the country.
New Park director Neil Robertson explained the business will be responsible for the design, construction, operation and management of the biomass plants. "Caithness will become a centre of excellence with this initiative which is good news for the county," he said.
He revealed that the funding package should be finalised by the end of December with construction work at the Georgemas site expected to get under way in February next year.
The two Caithness plants will be built first and take between one year and 18 months to complete.
"Our target is to have both up and running by January 2011. Georgemas would be the bigger of the two plants as it will have a fuel processing element as well," stated Mr Robertson.
He anticipated around 20 to 30 people will be employed to run and operate the two sites. "There should be quite a lot of jobs created during the construction phase and we hope local engineering firms will be involved in the project," said Mr Robertson.
"There will also be employment opportunities in the supply and support chain."
He pointed out that the technology which will be used for the plants has been "tried and tested" and has been operating in countries such as Switzerland and Austria for several years.
Mr Robertson pointed out that around 100,000 tons of timber will be required each year to run the Caithness plants.
"We will try and source as much as we can locally," he said.
It is expected that much of the wood will be delivered by train for environmental reasons and to reduce the carbon footprint of the Caithness plants.
Mr Robertson has visited the European sites on several occasions and will be back over in Zurich in Switzerland in a fortnight. "We are very happy with the technology," he said.
The local combined heat and power plants will be sited near the railway junction at Georgemas and at the Forss Business and Technology Park.
The other seven are expected to be built at various locations in Scotland ranging from the Aviemore area to Aberdeen and Dumfries-shire. The plants - located on existing industrial and business development parks or brownfield sites - will generate enough electricity to supply 140,000 homes.
A Power Purchase Agreement is currently being negotiated with a leading UK utility for the purchase of electricity.
"The development of these nine CHP plants with Invicta Capital is a natural extension of our desire to nurture new technology through science and technology parks, working in partnership to bring sustainable jobs to rural communities such as Caithness," added Mr Robertson.
Landward Caithness councillor Robert Coghill yesterday gave his backing to the development.
"This is good news for the area. Any new business coming to Caithness has to be welcome, especially at time when Dounreay is being run down," he said.
Mr Coghill felt the initiative could encourage farmers and crofters to plant trees on their land knowing there would be a market for them.
He also thought the plant at Georgemas would help improve the viability of the Far North rail line.
New Park is part of the Scottish Enterprise Energy Technology Centre consortium, a group supporting innovation and commercialisation of renewable energy technologies.
Invicta Capital Ltd was established in 2001 and has since raised over £1.3 billion of investment capital.
The company has built a strong reputation for structuring investment opportunities for both private and institutional investors.
g.calder@nosn.co.uk
Tubthumper
23-Dec-09, 13:38
So no planning application is needed because some jobs will be created then? 20-30 jobs (maybe), but what will the nature of the jobs will be?
Gosh. it's brilliant when such initiatives can suddenly spring out of the blue. Wonder why wind turbines, nuclear plants and airports have got to jump through so many planning hoops. 'Felt' and 'thought' seem to figure in the Press Release, does that mean this hasn't been fully thought out?
I just hope that (a) the experience is better than the Wick CHAP has turned out (b) it's not a rubbish incinerator by another name (c) there will actually be some benefits for the area in the form of jobs and money input (d) some information will progress into the public domain (other than company press releases), to allow opinions to be expressed and some kind of due process to be followed.
All without obstructing progress, of course.
Hmm I am a dip LOL.
TWO biomass plants are due to be built in Caithness within the next 12 to 18 months at a cost of £35 million, it was confirmed yesterday.
The combined heat and power plants will be constructed at Georgemas and Forss as part of a £300m investment package which has been launched by London-based private equity firm Invicta Capital.
advertising
It has joined forces with local company New Park, which runs the business and technology park at Forss, to create a joint venture - Invicta New Park Limited - to run the two Far North plants and a further seven which are planned in other parts of the country.
New Park director Neil Robertson explained the business will be responsible for the design, construction, operation and management of the biomass plants. "Caithness will become a centre of excellence with this initiative which is good news for the county," he said.
He revealed that the funding package should be finalised by the end of December with construction work at the Georgemas site expected to get under way in February next year.
The two Caithness plants will be built first and take between one year and 18 months to complete.
"Our target is to have both up and running by January 2011. Georgemas would be the bigger of the two plants as it will have a fuel processing element as well," stated Mr Robertson.
He anticipated around 20 to 30 people will be employed to run and operate the two sites. "There should be quite a lot of jobs created during the construction phase and we hope local engineering firms will be involved in the project," said Mr Robertson.
"There will also be employment opportunities in the supply and support chain."
He pointed out that the technology which will be used for the plants has been "tried and tested" and has been operating in countries such as Switzerland and Austria for several years.
Mr Robertson pointed out that around 100,000 tons of timber will be required each year to run the Caithness plants.
"We will try and source as much as we can locally," he said.
It is expected that much of the wood will be delivered by train for environmental reasons and to reduce the carbon footprint of the Caithness plants.
Mr Robertson has visited the European sites on several occasions and will be back over in Zurich in Switzerland in a fortnight. "We are very happy with the technology," he said.
The local combined heat and power plants will be sited near the railway junction at Georgemas and at the Forss Business and Technology Park.
The other seven are expected to be built at various locations in Scotland ranging from the Aviemore area to Aberdeen and Dumfries-shire. The plants - located on existing industrial and business development parks or brownfield sites - will generate enough electricity to supply 140,000 homes.
A Power Purchase Agreement is currently being negotiated with a leading UK utility for the purchase of electricity.
"The development of these nine CHP plants with Invicta Capital is a natural extension of our desire to nurture new technology through science and technology parks, working in partnership to bring sustainable jobs to rural communities such as Caithness," added Mr Robertson.
Landward Caithness councillor Robert Coghill yesterday gave his backing to the development.
"This is good news for the area. Any new business coming to Caithness has to be welcome, especially at time when Dounreay is being run down," he said.
Mr Coghill felt the initiative could encourage farmers and crofters to plant trees on their land knowing there would be a market for them.
He also thought the plant at Georgemas would help improve the viability of the Far North rail line.
New Park is part of the Scottish Enterprise Energy Technology Centre consortium, a group supporting innovation and commercialisation of renewable energy technologies.
Invicta Capital Ltd was established in 2001 and has since raised over £1.3 billion of investment capital.
The company has built a strong reputation for structuring investment opportunities for both private and institutional investors.
g.calder@nosn.co.uk
Yet another Biomass plant that will cause more Environmental damage than it will save in CO2 .They say that the plant is tried and tested in Austria etc ,well the timber available in those places is not the same as the timber here ..If you plan to fell ,transport and chip 100,000 tonnes thats one huge amount of fossil fuel usage in that process alone ...These companies are doing such things not because its good for the county ,its because they can sell the ROCs which is where the real money lays ...
As many locals know i have been involved with Biomass power for years and the Council stated "there would neve be a need for such plants and the Council nor Councillors will NEVER give their backing to any such Project "..I have the letter here i my hand ..
We did plan one Biomass/CHP plant in Halkirk (at the old halkirk station site ) with the heat going into a district heating scheme ,but the Council thought it was a silly idea ..The plant would have used a mixture of Commerial Timber waste ,paper and cardboard .The puck shaped briquettes would have also been used to heat the Schools ,Swimming Pools and large Community building ...Goes to show that the biggest hurdle to getting projects going in the Highlands is being born local ....The system they are planning to use are both sites is low pressure wood fuel .Its old out dated inefficient and costly ..I did contact the powers that be in Forss but they never got back (must be my local accent thing that put them off again) ...Best of luck to all the folk that will be working at both site .
Tubthumper
23-Dec-09, 18:15
So who is going to benefit from these soon to be started plants?
Bearing in mind the number of people who dive into windpower threads, where's the org debate about this renewable power issue?
Tubthumper
23-Dec-09, 22:40
I suppose the lack of response is either because the scientists don't feel this is complicated enough to bother with, or it's me. Surely endlessly banging on about generating capacity, efficiency, investment, visual amenity and so on for wind turbines should be matched buy at least an interest in this technology, even if it is quite 'low tech'.
If no-one picks up on this, I'm doing no more poetry on the org.
changilass
23-Dec-09, 23:13
I will agree to agree with you Tubs - don't want to lose the poetry.
Bobinovich
23-Dec-09, 23:37
My question would have to be 'Why Georgemas?' - it's not near any substantial housing who could benefit from the waste heat by-product which I imagine these plants would have.
In 1954 the Hydro-Electric Board began work on an experimental peat burning station at Braehour, between Scotscalder and Altnabrech, so this is nothing new.
Read Castlegreen's Peats for Power!
My question would have to be 'Why Georgemas?' - it's not near any substantial housing who could benefit from the waste heat by-product which I imagine these plants would have.
Must admit I don't know very much about this sort of thing but could they use the heat to heat the likes of polytunnels to grow tomatoes or such like or am I being stupid? I suspect Georgemas because it is so close to the railway but obviously not close to many houses???
Tubthumper
24-Dec-09, 00:24
Polytunnels and tomatoes: Not such a daft idea. And why Georgemas? Beats me. Why Forss for that matter? And Dozy's point about the carbon footprint involved in felling timber and hauling it to the plants is a fair one.
I'm not agains the idea, I'm just confused. And I'd like our 'Big Hitters' of science and technology to wade into this and do some examination rather than kicking the same tired old arguments about wind turbines to death.
Also, why was Dozy, with his expertise in biomass heat/power plants, excluded from the Wick fiasco? Is there something we should know?
I'm not agains the idea, I'm just confused. And I'd like our 'Big Hitters' of science and technology to wade into this and do some examination rather than kicking the same tired old arguments about wind turbines to death.
every little helps but every big helps the most.
Tubthumper
24-Dec-09, 00:39
Aha! Are these proposals little or big?
ywindythesecond
24-Dec-09, 00:45
Tubthumper, I am not convinced that the project is viable, but I am not against the principle of biomass as a fuel, (or wood as it used to be called). But we have a local problem.
Where is all the wood going to come from? There are finite resources at Forsinard and Borgie and Rumster.
Proposed windfarm developments at Stroupster, Shebster, Strathy North and South, and Halsary all rely on the early felling of immature trees.
Coppicing willows might work in Caithness, but that has a long lead-in time and what would the plant burn meantime?
Dunnet forest is only good for domestic firewood.
Only Forsinard has a rail link.
The idea that you can plant now and be sure that you will have a local market in 10, 20, or 30 years time would not induce me to turn over my fields to trees, if I had any fields.
Tubthumper
24-Dec-09, 00:52
Windy, ta for joining in! We all thought you smart types were all too busy knocking pointless lumps out of each other!
I believe the North Highland College is planning a CHP plant as part of their big (and very welcome!) redevelopment. Can see the point in such an establishment having it for heat & earning dosh from the power, however I'm at a loss to work out the rationale behind the Georgemas/ Forss proposals. I sincerely hope it's not going to detract from the offshore/ undersea proposals.
Perhaps someone from New Park could offer further info, rather than the press release/advert that TTJ posted for us?
I suppose the lack of response is either because the scientists don't feel this is complicated enough to bother with, or it's me. Surely endlessly banging on about generating capacity, efficiency, investment, visual amenity and so on for wind turbines should be matched buy at least an interest in this technology, even if it is quite 'low tech'.
If no-one picks up on this, I'm doing no more poetry on the org.
I will agree to agree with you Tubs - don't want to lose the poetry.
It was an empty threat.:roll:
Tubthumper
24-Dec-09, 01:06
It was an empty threat.:roll:
I get so paranoid at times
My education's lacking
The kind of impact that Rheghead
And Metalattaks packing
I'm bored with all the point-scoring
That's wasting all our time
The forum's stuffed with angry folk
And so I'll withdraw rhyme
Unless we focus on sane stuff
Begin to make a start
To aim our intellectuals
Those ones who say they're smart
Away from 40 pages of
A load of guff and noise
They huff and puff and point and shout
Like silly playground boys
And meanwhile things that matter here
Get left to rot away
Just shut your gobs and grow up chaps
That's all I've got to say
And I mean it. I'll stop hitting youse with pomes
Okay tubs, we get your drift
Please don't scream and shout
Poems stop you feeling miffed
They're what you're all about
Rheg and Met have made you mad
You started your own thread
I hate to see you look so sad
Just don't go back to bed
Aaldtimer
24-Dec-09, 03:54
..."And I mean it. I'll stop hitting youse with pomes "...
Promises, promises!;)
Windy, ta for joining in! We all thought you smart types were all too busy knocking pointless lumps out of each other!
I believe the North Highland College is planning a CHP plant as part of their big (and very welcome!) redevelopment. Can see the point in such an establishment having it for heat & earning dosh from the power, however I'm at a loss to work out the rationale behind the Georgemas/ Forss proposals. I sincerely hope it's not going to detract from the offshore/ undersea proposals.
Perhaps someone from New Park could offer further info, rather than the press release/advert that TTJ posted for us?
The real shame of it comes when they sell their ROCs on the open market .They can be bought up by companies that will use them to CUT DOWN the RAIN FOREST and plant oil palms ,so the tax payer picks up the bill and the planet suffers ...There's just no sense i what is planned and the Council more than willing to help in ...As far as the 100,000 tonnes of timber needed ,thats over 200,000 trees (as trees in Scotland have a 60% moisture content) or 25,000 truck loads ,now that's alot of trees and to keep things in balance .Thats works out at planting 320,000 trees a year which also counts in the losses or 6200 trees planted every week ...I think some is telling lies when they say its for the Environment ....
captain chaos
24-Dec-09, 14:35
Tubthumper said "Why Forss".....well they have a large business park ( old yank base) run by New Park which consumes oil for heating and electric for everything else ...kinda makes sense to have a heat and power plant on site.
I would also presume that the plant is capable of producing more electric than the site could use so export the excess to the grid, further reducing running costs.
My understanding is that the wood or chips would come up by rail to .....Georgemas
tonkatojo
24-Dec-09, 16:34
Tubthumper said "Why Forss".....well they have a large business park ( old yank base) run by New Park which consumes oil for heating and electric for everything else ...kinda makes sense to have a heat and power plant on site.
I would also presume that the plant is capable of producing more electric than the site could use so export the excess to the grid, further reducing running costs.
My understanding is that the wood or chips would come up by rail to .....Georgemas
Just a thought, could that be why the talk of the new "THICK" school being built in that area.:confused
Tubthumper
24-Dec-09, 19:06
And with the new sports complex in the same general locality...
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