Fiddler's Ferry goes green for future (From Warrington Guardian)

Fiddler's Ferry goes green for future

FIDDLER'S Ferry power station is trying to clean up its emissions in time for new green regulations.

It needs to cut acid rain-causing sulphur dioxide emissions by New Year's Day 2008.

If it does not, the station, which employs 200 staff and 100 contractors - at least a quarter of these are thought to be from Warrington - will not have the authority to operate.

To meet the new green targets, the station needs to build between two and four new plants to absorb most of the sulphur dioxide before it is released into the air.

These stations will take two or more years to build - so time scales are not in the station's favour.

But managers are hopeful that they will be given the go ahead by October or November, and Warrington South MP, Helen Southworth, has backed the scheme.

If local councils and the Department of Trade Industry agree with the work, it is then a case of spending something approaching £100m to build the new plants.

The power plants use limestone, brought in on railways, to absorb the sulphur dioxide, creating gypsum which can then be sold off for use in plasterboard.

"It's about creating a cleaner future," said generation commercial manager Stuart Connon.

The removal of sulphur dioxide will make little difference to the already good quality of air locally, but will make a difference on a national scale.

The new plants will probably be less than half as big as the current main building, and the construction work will create 350 jobs.

"It will be written in the contract that we should employ local people wherever we can, and the plant will create 20 to 25 permanent posts to run the plant," said Mr Connon.

The work should allow Fiddler's Ferry to operate to at least 2015, though capital work like this envisages a payback time of around 25 years.

Fiddler's Ferry is owned by Scottish Southern Electric and creates 2,000 megawatts of power - enough for two million customers.