Scottish energy company SSE has submitted a planning application to Aberdeenshire Council for a new 910MW gas power station to be built on site of an existing 1180MW plant.
The proposal includes plans for a carbon capture and storage (CCS) plant to attempt to capture some of the pollution generated by the power stations which could operate at full capacity.
However, Friends of the Earth Scotland has highlighted that CCS technology is still new and its effects are not well known.
Investigative news site, The Ferret, discovered that SSE’s existing Peterhead power plant was Scotland’s biggest single polluter in 2018, 2019 and 2020, emitting 1.3m tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2020 alone.
Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Climate Campaigner, Alex Lee, said: ‘If the Scottish Government were to approve a new gas fired power station at Peterhead that would lock in continued use of fossil fuels for our energy for decades to come.
‘Like the defeated Hunterston coal-power station before it, this development relies on carbon capture and storage technology coming online at some unspecified point in the future. Carbon capture and storage has a long history of repeated failure and even the Scottish Government has admitted that this technology will not happen this decade. But the whole Peterhead project is to be built on the rotten foundations of this unreliable techno-fix.
‘It’s time for the Scottish Government to show real climate leadership by rejecting it, and committing to the decisions that need to be made for a just and rapid transition away from fossil fuels.’
Research by Friends of the Earth Scotland found CCS technology will not help to cut emissions to where they need to be by 2030, with just 26 plants in operation globally.
In several cases the technology failed to reach predicted targets and was ultimately abandoned.
81% of carbon captured has later been used to extract more oil through Enhanced Oil Recovery, completely negating any positive environmental impacts.
Ministers have recently voiced their opposition to unlimited use of fossil fuels and have admitted technologies such as CCS would not be developed in the 2020However, this new assessment makes it clear there is ‘scant evidence of delivery’ against those headline goals. Although some areas are showing progress, there is a high likelihood of widespread under-delivery. It also makes the point that if the climate lead is to be effective, the rest of the world must be confident Britain will ‘keep our promises and that we have a clear and effective programme to achieve our commitments’.
‘The UK is a champion in setting new climate goals, now we must be world-beaters in delivering them. In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, the country is crying out to end its dependence on expensive fossil fuels,’ said CCC Chairman Lord Deben. ‘I welcome the Government’s restated commitment to Net Zero, but holes must be plugged in its strategy urgently. The window to deliver real progress is short. We are eagle-eyed for the promised action.’
In particular, the deployment of renewable energy – with emissions from power generation falling by 70% in the last decade alone – and electric vehicle [EV] adoption were praised. By comparison, major criticisms were made about the poor and ineffective efforts to improve energy efficiency in homes.
‘The conclusions on progress towards improving home energy efficiency are disappointing, but not a surprise. This must be a higher priority and significant policy gaps must be addressed to help cut household energy bills and decarbonise our homes,’ said Stew Horne, Head of Policy at Energy Saving Trust, who recently wrote an op-ed for Environment Journal on domestic energy efficiency.
‘More progress has been made in transport, where it is motivating and rewarding to see that the charging market is maturing as adoption of electric vehicles grows in line with the low carbon transport agenda. It is important that this progress continues. The UK has some of the most ambitious climate pledges of any major economy, yet government needs to show sustained leadership by settling out the detailed delivery plans for how we get to a net zero future,’ he continued.’
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