We weren’t able to go along to the biomass public meeting last night, but VB reader Tanja Rebel did. She has sent through this report which are her own opinions and words. Ed
Around 50 people turned out last night to attend the public meeting organised to discuss the proposed bio-mass power station at Stag Lane.
Bob Keats, the Chair of the evening said, “Can I say thanks to everyone who helped put last night’s meeting together. It was well organised, well publicised, well attended and provided for a very high quality of discussion. Ian did a great job providing a well considered argument against this scale of development.
“This was the most well behaved and measured ‘protest’ meeting I have encountered – The evidence against this project is massive and clear. We just need to get that message out.”
Bob summarises it quite well, I think!
Level of concern
I am overall pleased with the turn-out, which for the Isle of Wight was quite good. This shows the level of concern there is out there about this proposal. I know of several who couldn’t turn up on the night, but who are equally concerned so there is an awareness that is growing amongst residents that biomass is not sustainable at all. My view is that it is polluting and therefore harmful for its nearby environment and contributes to global deforestation as well as global warming.
According to the European Environment Agency Scientific Community Committee, the assumption that biomass is carbon neutral is a “serious accounting error” as it increases C02 emissions.
More CO2 than coal power stations
Biomass plants release more CO2 than coal power stations and even more nitrogen oxides as well as small particulates, which constitute a huge health hazard. They also release dioxins, durans and heavy metals, even if the wood that is burned is so called “clean”.
Importing wood or pellets will increase C02 emissions even further and this huge monstrosity of a plant will rely on imported wood, whatever they say. There is just not enough forest on the island to support it and even if there were, why should we destroy our beautiful forests for something that is a dead-end? Equally, why should we allow forests in Eastern Europe to be raped for our endless energy consumption? It is morally and environmentally wrong.
More demand for wood than can be supplied
In summary, biomass plants lead to more C02 emissions, more deforestation, more monoculture plantations, more land grabs and increased food prices.
It also places more demand for wood than the planet can supply, with UK demand set to increase to 60 million tonnes per year! What’s more, we are paying for this as vast subsidies are going to this dirty form of energy that is classed as “renewable”.
Will lead to other job losses
Nor will it lead to more jobs nationally, as biomass burning is highly capital intensive + it will lead to substantial job losses in other wood industries, such as carpentry, for where will they get their wood from?
Biomass is also highly inefficient, with an average energy waste of 70%! Even if the heat was captured on the Isle of Wight there is no district heating on the island at present and that will be very difficult to realise.
Equally difficult will it be to make the river Medina suitable for the large vessels that are going to transport the wood. Dredging can be ecologically harmful, as well as the pollutants and possible cooling water that may be released into the river, causing thermal shock to river life.
An eyesore along beautiful river habitat
So, from all perspectives, this plant is a no-no and the sooner people realise this the better. It will also be an eyesore along this beautiful river habitat, with a 75 meter high chimney and overall total lack of aesthetic feeling, the importance of which has totally gone out of the window in today’s day and age. Who cares what it looks like, as long as it’s “green”… I say, green should have sheen! In other words, green should be beautiful!
We need to start waking up and this campaign is the start of that! We will continue campaigning until those in County Hall have woken up as well. This seems to be part of a grander plan to industrialise this ecologically sensitive as well as beautiful river habitat in the name of “sustainability” – a most abused word nowadays.
Put efforts elsewhere
I know there is a lot of money in this and that is the main reason why they want to push it through, but it would be a travesty if we allowed this to happen.
Much better would it be to put all our efforts (and subsidies) into home insulation, solar, tidal end geothermal energy, which are far more effective and truly sustainable.
Image: Landrover Our Planet under CC BY 2.0
