An £80m straw-powered biomass power plant has been proposed by renewable energy developer Eco2 and planning permission has been granted to allow the company to go ahead in Lincolnshire. What it means is that the possibility for more straw-powered plants to be constructed around the country depending on the success of this first one.

Sleaford in Lincolnshire is the proposed location for the 40MW power plant and it will be fuelled by 240,000 tonnes of straw. Where this becomes a significant development is that all of this fuel source will come from within a 30-mile radius of the plant. This straw is fuel that would otherwise be simply ploughed back into the soil.

Transport emissions to get the fuel from the fields to the power plant will be minimised and there is no trouble with using food for fuel because the straw comes from wheat that has already been harvested.

According to David Williams, the chief executive of Eco2, “Between four million and 13 million tonnes of straw a year is just ploughed back into the soil,” said Williams. “The Sleaford plant will only use a quarter of the straw available within a 30-mile radius, so there is huge potential for further plants.”