Welsh biomass proposal progresses, seeks buyer

Feb. 22, 2011, London, UK – Wales-based
Anglesey Aluminium Metals (AAM) is progressing with plans to secure approval
for a large-scale biomass plant in Wales but told Argus it is still looking to
offload the site and project for £10 million ($16.2 million). The proposed 299-MW
wood-fired power plant in Holyhead, Wales, has received initial approval by the
Welsh Environment Agency and the initial draft has been sent to the UK
Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC). The proposal for the £600-million
biomass plant submitted through AAM, which is owned by UK-Australian group Rio
Tinto (51%) and U.S. firm Kaiser Aluminium and Chemical (49%), has already
secured local planning approval and expects to receive government approval
before the summer.

“The application has been under review for
some time now but DECC has sent the draft to our local council here; and while
it is still in the melting pot, we hope to have government approval by the
summer,” a company spokesman said. “Looking ahead, the plan is still to sell
the [75-acre] site along with the biomass proposals. We did have some interest
in it early on, but at this stage, we cannot say any more other than to confirm
it is available at around £10 million.”

A period of further public consultation is
now taking place before a final decision on the plant is made.

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