Biomass Incinerator Total Fraud
“The proposed Barton Renewable Energy Plant in Greater Manchester is a complete FRAUD†claims Peter Kilvert, Chairman of the Breathe Clean Group. “The building is NOT in Barton, it’s in Davyhulme; it’s not going to burn renewable biomass as it’s going to burn Commercial and Industrial waste wood and plastics; it’s conveniently called a plant when it is actually an incinerator; and it’s not going to power 37,000 homes as claimed, since any power generated will go into the National Gridâ€.
The Breathe Clean Air Group has been campaigning to stop the incinerator being built because of the threat to health from emissions, problems with traffic increase and degeneration of the local area.
“The claims that emissions will not have significant impact on health go counter to a wealth of scientific research and evidence from around the world†added Mr Kilvert. “Very fine particulates from burning wood, heavy metals, dioxins and other organic chemicals, will add to our poor air quality and may increase illness and disease. Nitrogen oxides and ammonia gas were of concern to Trafford Council, especially so close to an Air Quality Management Area. And burning wood adds more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than burning coal, therefore making climate change worseâ€.
Trafford Council wondered why the building was to be larger than needed, which increases the speculation of what will actually be installed. Certainly what has been proposed will not use Best Available Technology and this includes a low temperature furnace, an out-dated bag filtration system and a shorter than usual smoke stack.
The promoters claim that it will recycle the 10,000 tonnes of bottom ash which is left behind after the waste is burnt. However, the plans to re-use it in the construction and fertiliser industries are impossible because the ash is too toxic. It will have to be disposed of at a special landfill site.
“This project is a fraud and should never be built†said Mr Kilvert.
The foot-print of this monster is sufficient to house a High Temperature Incinerator, capable of finishing off hazardous and toxic or otherwise dangerous waste. The analogy is this: you make a large limousine, but only put the engine of a mini metro under the bonnet; the car will run after a fashion, but won’t need high vehicle excise duty. At some point in the future, it will take a V8 6 litre gas guzzler, but will still look the same on the outside.
The transport infrastructure will have been purpose-built by the next stage, and goes by the name of a wharf on the Manchester Ship Canal.