Will Bristol be killing the rainforests for power?

Dear all,

W4B Renewable Energy have just had their application for a biofuel power station in Portland rejected by Weymouth & Portland Council, amidst concerns about the impact of biofuels in general and palm oil in particular on the climate, on forests and other ecosystems and on communities in the global South, as well as concerns over air pollution and public health in nearby areas.

This was one of three similar planning applications recently rejected by local authorities. Now we have found out that W4B has submitted plans for a biofuel power station more than twice the size of the largest one applied for before.

They want to build a 50 MW power station at Avonmouth Docks in Bristol,which would burn 90,000 tonnes of vegetable oil, most likely palm oil,every year. More than 22,000 hectares of oil palm plantations would be required to feed this one power station, and even more land if other feedstock was used.

W4B have mentioned jatropha as well as palm oil, yetjatropha is not yet commercially available, many plantings are failing,yet thousands of people have already lost their land and livelihood forjatropha plantations to feed Europe’s biofuel market. Peat expert Professor Siegert of Munich University has said about palm oil power stations in Germany: “We were able to prove that the making of these plantations and the burning of the rainforests and peat areas emits many thousands of times as much CO2 as we then are able to prevent by using palm oil.

And that is a disastrous balance for the climate.”(tinyurl.com/y9xel3g) Ever more communities in countries like Colombia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Ecuador are losing their land to palm oil companies, with plantation expansion to a large extent driven by Europe’s biofuel policies. Local residents will be affected by increased levels of nitrogen oxide and small particulates which are linked to respiratory and cardiac disease.Avonmouth in particular already has high levels of pollution. Please go to www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/w4bsep2009.php to object to W4B's application and let others know about this alert.

IF YOU LIVE IN OUR NEAR BRISTOL AND CAN HELP IN ANY WAY WITH CAMPAIGNINGAGAINST THIS PROPOSAL, PLEASE CONTACT US - THANKS.

Also, if you live in or near London, please come along to demonstration outside the Department for Energy and Climate Change inLondon on 12th October, 6.30 pm against the subsidies for biofuels. Formore information, see www.campaigncc.org/biofuels . Without 'greenenergy' subsidies, biofuel power stations like the one planned in Bristol would not be viable. Many thanks. Best regards, The Biofuelwatch Team