A BIOMASS plant that could create up to 600 jobs on Anglesey has taken a step closer after the island’s council approved its construction.
Council leader Councillor Clive McGregor said that the 299 mega watt plant at Penrhos in Holyhead was an environmentally friendly way to provide much needed jobs.
“We have to find new and green ways of providing power, and biomass is twice as efficient as nuclear power and four times as coal buring stations,” he said.
“The plant ticks all of the boxes and we hope that the Energy Secretary will listen to us.”
Energy and Climate Secretary Ed Milliband will decide whether to grant planning permission for the plant, which was approved by an extraordinary meeting of Anglesey Council on January 21.
The £600 million plant would create around 600 jobs during the 32 month construction and 100 permanent jobs once building is complete.
The council recommended that a carbon capture scheme is considered to reduce the amount of carbon dioxcide returned into the atmosphere.
Other recommendations included imposing off-site crop planting to mitigate the visual impact of the plant’s tallest buildings and building a jetty that could be used by the plant and cruise ships.
However, environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth Cymru Neil Crumpton said that a 10MW plant would be more suitable after closure of Anglesey Aluminium, and that wind power could bring up to 40,000 jobs to the island.
“The Welsh Assembly Government should pioneer an industrial strategy for Anglesey to secure jobs,” he said.
“Ironically, Wylfa Inland is one of the best locations in the UK for the manufacture of renewable energy components, such as wind and tidal turbines.”
He added although the carbon capture scheme does not go far enough, and the CHP (Combined Heat and power) scheme where heat generated by the plant is used to supply offices and homes is not likely to be introduced due to a lack of incentive to lay the necesssary pipelines.