Port Talbot residents express air quality concerns over biomass plant

Residents in Port Talbot have expressed their concern that the establishment of another biomass power plant in the area would see the air quality fall. 

Councillors rejected plans for the Prenergy site last year but now Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council has been informed that applicant Geoff James, of Western Log Energy, is planning to appeal against the decision, the South Wales Evening Post reports.

Despite this, planning committee chairman Stan Mason told the newspaper that the new site would affect the area's tourism industry and have an "impact on the number of visitors".

Another concern that was voiced when the application was rejected was about the air quality of the area if the plant was given the go-ahead, as it would burn around 350,000 tonnes of contaminated wood a year.

This comes after Will Rolls, information officer at the Biomass Energy Centre, recently spoke out about the financial advantages of biomass fuel, saying that it is cheaper to run in the long term.

Posted by Lauren Steadman