Dorset wood recycler plans £7 million biomass plant

A wood waste processor in Dorset has tipped biomass energy generation as the "way forward" for wood recyclers, after revealing plans for a £7 million biomass plant.
Speaking to letsrecycle.com, Eco Composting founder Trelawney Dampney said he hoped to build a 25,000 tonne capacity facility outside Bournemouth, capable of generating 2.7MW of electricity a year.
The government takes renewable energy very seriously and we want to be at the forefront. - Trelawney Dampney, Eco Composting The company particularly noted the possibilities of biomass plants for using poorer quality wood not suitable for recycling into chipboard.
Under the plans, which are to be submitted for planners' scrutiny by Christmas, the plant would be erected at Eco Composting's existing composting and wood recycling site on Chapel Lane, outside Bournemouth.
The company hopes to gain planning permission by next summer, and complete construction by the end of 2009.
Mr Dampney said he predicted that other wood recyclers would plan a "whole raft" of biomass plants in the UK over the next few months, due to current market conditions.
He claimed that biomass plants, such as those now in development in South Wales (see letsrecycle.com story), provided a profitable, sustainable and environmentally-friendly market for dirty wood under the government's renewable energy agenda.
"Carbon neutral"He said: "Biomass is definitely one of the ways forward for the recycling industry and will open up a lot more wood from civic amenity sites, which currently goes to landfill. If the wood replaces fossil fuels it is carbon neutral. I'm sure there will be a whole raft of them appearing in the next few months.
"The government takes renewable energy very seriously and we want to be at the forefront. I also believe that the government will provide more and more support for the technology over time," Mr Dampney added.
DirtyEco Composting's founder and managing director explained that, of the 25,000 tonnes of waste wood taken in by the company each year, as much as 17,000 tonnes was classed "dirty". Eco Composting currently "dilutes" some of the wood with clean wood to make it acceptable to the board mills, and composts the remainder.
Mr Dampney said: "There's an overabundance of dirty wood at the moment because the board mills don't want it, and with all the issues over carbon it's the right time to be promoting biomass."
FeedstockAt the Dorset site, the biomass plant will take waste wood, oversized material from composting and energy crops from Eco Composting. The material comes from Dorset county council, Poole council, Bournemouth council, and local industry.
Eco composting is currently looking into biomass technology in Europe and are conducting an environmental impact assessment.
Mr Dampney said: "We are currently carrying out a public consultation as part of the environmental assessment by inviting local stakeholders over to hear about our plans. We want to make everyone happy and assure them that the project will not have a big impact and will help reduce traffic and supply renewable electricity to the local grid."