Power Company Turns to Crops for Fuel

UK power company ScottishPower today announced it is keen to contract farmers to produce 250,000t of energy crops it says will help power two coal-fired power stations – Cockenzie and Longannet.

ScottishPower says it will use the energy crops – a mix of crops including cereal and short rotational crops such as willow coppice – to provide carbon-neutral fuel.

It says the CO2 released from burning crops is equal to that captured when the crop is grown. The crop will displace coal burned in the stations.

However, the project will require about 12% of Scotland's total agricultural land (35,000ha) which will only replace about 5% of the company's coal requirements.

ScottishPower already uses wood for this purpose as part of its renewables programme.

By staff writer