As reported in the Spalding Guardian by Chrissie Redford of the Lincolnshire Free Press

CONSTRUCTION of a £300-million green power station in Sutton Bridge could begin early next year.

Peterborough Renewable Energy Limited (PREL) says plans are due to go before South Holland District Council in August.

Project manager Helen Rome, speaking at Sutton Bridge annual parish meeting, said she was delighted to report the 64-acre project that will provide renewable energy for homes and businesses on the Wingland estate was now on schedule.  Following approval of the plans, Ms Rome said the three-year construction of EnergyPark Sutton Bridge would start after winter on asite next to the Miracle-Groworks.

However, since the initial public consultations in 2009 there had been changes – the most significant being the movement of tankers supplying the station with biomass fuel (living and recently deadbiological material).

Concern was raised initially about lorry movement to and from the station when it had been expected to be one every four minutes.

However, it was now estimated to be four an hour, based on a 24-hour period, or eight an hour, over 12 hours.

Ms Rome said: “We can confirm that vehicles will only use Centenary Way, which leads onto the A17. No vehicles will be directed down Chalk Lane or through the village of Sutton Bridge.

“We are confident that our EnergyPark will have less than a one per cent impact on surrounding roads, based the Department for Transport’s latest available data, which records current total daily traffic flows at 15,604. As such, we are also confident that our development will not cause any delays to traffic movements on the A17.”

The reduction of the number of tankers needed had been influenced by the choice of wood chippings as biomass fuel, which Ms Rome said the company was confident could be sourced from the surrounding area. Parishioner Colin Blundell asked how this could be when there are no forests in the area.

He said: “It won’t be very eco-friendly if tankers are have to travel out of the county for chippings.”