In the future, plants of this type can make a significant contribution to the United Kingdom's energy supply and help in meeting commitments to the reduction of greenhouse gases. Growing concerns over the impact of mans' activities on the global climate are driving the development of renewable energy sources.
Energy generation using fossil fuels is a major source of greenhouse gases and of other pollutants.
Renewable energy sources provide a cleaner alternative. The United Kingdom currently has the lowest proportion of energy production from renewable sources of any European Union member state. Studies carried out by the Department of Trade and Industry have shown that biomass can make a substantial contribution to both the United Kingdom's and the European Union's energy needs. From the outset the project has been developed with the environment in mind. As part of the successful planning application an environmental statement was produced that identified all environmental issues and described how these are mitigated through the design of the plant.