Plant fears dismissed (From Messenger Newspapers)
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Barton Renewable Energy Plant fears dismissed by Peel Energy
2:29pm Thursday 1st November 2012 in News
PEEL Energy has dismissed criticisms by an expert of its planned biomass plant in Davyhulme.
The criticism by Dr Mary Booth, from Massachusetts, USA, a specialist in ecology and biochemistry, comes ahead of a public inquiry this month into the controversial scheme for the Barton Renewable Energy Plant (BREP), which gets underway on November 13.
Dr Booth said the plant "strikes me as one of the most dangerous I have seen in terms of potential impacts to human health.”
She added her concerns "focus on emissions of heavy metals from the facility, which I believe will represent a very serious threat to the health of the surrounding community... and the net greenhouse gas emissions impact."
But Peel Energy hit back, pointing out that all the professional bodies consulted by both Trafford Council and the Environment Agency during the planning and permitting processes have stated that they have no objections to the Barton Renewable Energy Plant (BREP) on grounds of air quality or public health.
Those consulted include the Health Protection Agency, NHS Trafford, Trafford Council’s own air quality officers and independent air quality experts AEA Technology.
Jon England, Peel Energy project manager, said: "The Environment Agency oversees the operations of all such plants in England and Wales and it recently issued an environmental permit to BREP because it is satisfied that the plant will generate safe renewable electricity using best available techniques.
“It remains the case that Dr Booth’s comments are out of step with the views of the experts consulted, who are all agreed that the plant represents a negligible risk to residents in the area.”
* Pete Kilvert, chairman of the Breathe Clean Air Group - who have spearheaded the campaign against the plant - urged people to attend the public inquiry, which is being held at Manchester United's football ground and begins at 10am on November 13.
The group is planning to provide a coach to take residents who don’t have their own transport, to the first day of the inquiry. See BreatheCleanAirGroup.co.uk for details.
