Fresh plans for a pioneering green energy scheme went on public display yesterday.
Residents living in the shadow of Peterhead power station were given the chance to check out updated designs for the facility’s much heralded Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project.
Offshore giant Shell, which is spearheading the scheme, is waiting for the UK Government to announce financial backing for the plan, which will involve an investment of tens of millions of pounds.
If approved, it would be the world’s first commercial-scale gas CCS demonstration project and could create as many as 1,000 jobs during construction.
Yesterday, the latest proposals went on show at Boddam public hall. A second session will be held at Peterhead’s Palace Hotel on Monday, July 28.
Next month, residents will also be given the chance to take a tour of the earmarked site.
Project manager Bill Spence, of Shell, said the scheme appeared to be welcomed by locals.
“We were pleased with the interest in the project at our first series of exhibitions in January,” he said. “Now that we are four months into our preliminary engineering we are in a position to provide more detail on how the project is likely to look.”
A total of 10million tonnes of harmful CO2 would be captured at the site over a decade, preventing it from entering the atmosphere.
Instead, it would be stored in a depleted North Sea gas field 62 miles offshore.
The scheme, which is being backed by Scottish and Southern Energy, is poised to win a share of a £1billion UK Government CCS fund and could be up and running within six years.
Once proven, it is hoped CCS will clean up the country’s power sector and become a key weapon in the battle against climate change, with the technology exported across the world.
Feedback from the public sessions will be used when drawing up a planning application, which is likely to be lodged with the local authority next summer.
The bid will be divided into two sections, on and offshore. The offshore plan will be much the same as a previous proposal for the Goldeneye reserve which was drawn up as part of carbon capture plans for Longannet power station, before they were scrapped in 2011.
Any locals who would like to tour the site on August 5 as part of the public consultation exercise can book a slot by calling 07891 315194 or e-mail peterheadccs@shell.com