A coalition of anti-biomass groups are planning a peaceful protest against public subsidies for big biomass outside the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 19th April 2012 at 12.30 pm.

Come and join us!

Download the 'No Subsidies for big Biomass' A4 poster from our Resources page (top of the list), print it out, stick on a cardboard box side, and bring it along as a placard to the protest on Thursday.

No Leith Biomass, Biofuelwatch, Friends of the Earth, and Grangemouth Community Council are asking others to join them in trying to persuade MSPs not to let what looks like a low profile and obscure piece of business slide unnoticed through the Economy, Energy & Tourism Committee.

In fact it is an issue that will significantly affect Scotland's future, as regards biomass. There is just a short window of time before a decision is taken in Parliament on energy subsidies. Scottish Government has spoken up against subsidies for electricity-only biomasss, but there are two loopholes that would let huge subsidies continue, for combined heat and power (CHP) biomasss and for co-firing of biomass alongside coal, at an efficiency level of only 35%.

Such subsidies could cost Scottish fuel users £300 million every year, and would create an articially inflated demand for wood in a 'biomass boom' bringing catastrophic environmental and human rights consequences

The protest is in support of MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith Malcolm Chisholm's recent motion S4M-02411. Malcolm's motion expresses concern about large scale biomass involving the import of millions of tonnes of timber, to alert Scottish Government to the loopholes in current and proposed subsidies for CHP and co-fired biomass, and to urge removal of all subsidies for biomass unless they meet the European Directive's minimum efficiency rating of 70%.

PRESS RELEASE

MP for Edinburgh East Sheila Gilmore has praised community activists who have fought plans to build a biomass power plant at Leith Docks.

Forth Energy, a joint venture between Forth Ports and SSE, proposed constructing a large scale biomass plant on undeveloped land at Leith Docks. Forth Energy today pulled the plans in anticipation of new plans for the former Port of Leith.

Ms Gilmore, who has referred to the plans as "greenwash" in the past, welcomes Forth Energy's decision to withdraw the plans.

Commenting on the decision, Ms Gilmore, who submitted her own objection to the plans and has campaigned consistently against the plans, congratulated residents:

" Activists and residents across Leith have fought tirelessly to block these plans for a biomass fired power station by Forth Energy. With very few funds the No Leith Biomass group have been able to reach out to the whole community in Leith and the rest of Edinburgh. I hope they are truly proud that their efforts have been successful.

This is a true David and Goliath tale. I want to pass on my congratulations to everyone who signed a petition, hung a poster in their shop window, or wrote an objection to the Scottish Government.

Forth Energy's plans would have been a blight on Edinburgh's skyline and were incompatible with the Scottish planning framework.

If Forth Energy do come back with any further plans for Leith Docks, they need to take this opportunity to back genuinely renewable energy projects."

For further information contact David Raine (Parliamentary Assistant to Sheila Gilmore MP) david.raine@parliament.uk

PRESS RELEASE

Forth Energy announces today (Thursday, 9th February 2012) that, in light of new proposals to develop the Port of Leith as a hub for offshore renewable energy manufacture and support and the consequent demand for space at the Port, it has written to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit withdrawing its current application for permission to build a combined heat and power (CHP) plant at Leith.

Forth Energy – the joint venture between Forth Ports Limited and SSE plc – will re-assess the potential for renewable energy production at the Port of Leith, owned by Forth Ports, once the full configuration of renewables companies locating at the Port has been finalised, land availability has been re-evaluated and the demand for renewable energy has been assessed.

The Port of Leith has been identified by Scottish Enterprise as Scotland’s top location for renewables manufacturing under the National Renewables Infrastructure Plan; is the subject of a Memorandum of Understanding between Scottish Enterprise, City of Edinburgh Council and Forth Ports; and is within the Scottish Government’s recently-announced Low Carbon / Renewables East Enterprise Area.

Forth Ports and SSE remain committed, through their joint venture project, Forth Energy, to developing wood-fuelled CHP plants at the Ports of Grangemouth, Rosyth and Dundee.

Calum Wilson, Managing Director of Forth Energy, said:

“Much has changed since we first applied for permission to build a CHP plant at Leith, not least the Port’s emerging status as a hub to support the Scottish offshore renewable energy industry.

“We remain fully committed to bringing reliable, responsible, renewable heat and electricity to Scotland through our proposed developments at the Ports of Grangemouth, Rosyth and Dundee and, in the process, assisting the Scottish Government in achieving its ambitious 2020 renewable energy targets. Once the configuration of the Port of Leith has been established, we will re-assess the opportunity and industrial demand for renewable energy and heat at the Port.”

Charles Hammond, Chief Executive of Forth Ports, said:

“The level of demand from renewables companies keen to locate at the Port of Leith means that it is appropriate that we draw breath while we see how the land configuration at the port evolves.

“We are fully committed to supporting the Scottish Government’s strategy for renewables manufacturing and our joint decision to withdraw this application at this stage will help to facilitate the Port of Leith’s role as a renewables hub.”

Further Enquiries: Debbie Johnston, Spreng & Co debbie@sprengandco.com

City of Edinburgh Council is a 'statutory consultee' in the process of seeking planning permission for a biomass plant in Leith. If Edinburgh City Council objected, a public enquiry would be called. But City of Edinburgh Council has not seen fit to keep concerned citizens informed of its position. As the proposed December date for debate of the Biomass application drew ever nearer, the No Leith Biomass campaign repeatedly asked City of Edinburgh Councillors and officials what was happening. We knew that Forth Energy was likely request an extension, but there was no official notice of this.There was no response for weeks but eventually confirmation came. Today, the Council has released to Councillors a written update on the situation, confirming that they will not now comment on Forth Energy's application until 30 June 2012.

We think the Council's first duty is to its citizens and tax-payers, not to big business, and we will look for better communication and information on this issue over the next six months. T

I never thought that trying to save the world would involve donning cobalt blue eyeshadow, woolly leg warmers, and blindingly bright 1980s gear! Thanks to Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Hannah Kitchen and her recent ‘video-shoot’ stunt, it did. Saturday morning saw Friends of the Earth Scotland staff and volunteers strutting our stuff in the cold outside Parliament performing a spoof of the Calvin Harris hit, ‘It was Acceptable in the 80s’, complete with subverted lyrics and a full dance routine. You can check the performance out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxayAUJwvA0

Four of the crew dressed up as Scotland’s biggest ‘climate criminals’ and danced and pranced and boasted about how they were ‘stuck in the 80s’ in their approaches to development, when it was still acceptable to deny climate change.

The climate criminals who were spoofed included Calum Wilson, no stranger to the No Leith Biomass Campaign: CEO of Forth Energy, which plans to burn 5.3 million tonnes of wood in Scottish biomass power stations.

I loved taking part in this action. It showed how it’s possible to draw attention to pressing environmental issues without having to necessarily get arrested or cause trouble, but through having fun and keeping positive.

Of course, behind the fun is very serious message, which we hope gets conveyed through our cheesy dance moves and hair spray. If the public has managed to leave perms and bad fashion behind, then it’s time for political leaders to leave outdated attitudes towards development behind too. When it is common knowledge that we must protect the world’s forests in our bid to save the world from catastrophic climate change, it seems more ludicrous than lycra that the Forth Energy proposals which rely on felling trees are even on the table.

In the meantime, the Climate Change Committee, which advises Westminster on adaptation and mitigation strategies towards climate change yesterday published its long-awaited ‘Bioenergy Review’ which can be accessed at http://www.theccc.org.uk/reports/bioenergy-review. It is a harsh blow to environmental campaigners that the Review recommends an increase of biomass of up to 100TWh by 2050 – this is an unprecedented amount, and a target that will see power stations across the UK guzzle around 125 million tonnes of biomass each year; over ten times the amount of wood that the UK has in the first place.

However, there might be good news in the Review for NLBC: The report recommends, ‘There should be limited if any support for new large-scale dedicated biomass generation’ – good leverage for the Campaign.

Finally, a reminder that if members of the public want to have their say on the Consultation about the level of support given to biomass in Scotland, they must do so before January 13th. Take the Biofuelwatch cyberaction at http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/2011/scotland_rocs_alert/. Even better, write your own response!

Emilia Hanna, Biomass Campaigner at Biofuelwatch & Friends of the Earth Scotland member

NOW! We have a unique opportunity to take action that could drive Forth Energy out once and for all - from Leith, and perhaps also from Grangemouth, Rosyth and Dundee!

The system of taxpayer subsidies to renewable energy producers is currently under review. These subsidies are known as Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) or, in Scotland, Renewable Obligations (Scotland) or ROS. There is a new Scottish consultation just opened, to ask people what they think about the subsidies. The Scottish Government recently announced proposals that could reduce or completely remove renewable energy subsidies from large, electricity-only biomass fueled power plants, such as the one proposed for Leith.

Without the enormous subsidies - which could add up to £1billion in subsidies over the twenty year lifespan of the power plant (over and above profits from selling the electricity) - the business plans for the Leith Biomass plant might look considerably less attractive to Forth Energy. (Forth Energy CEO Calum Wilson said at a meeting back in 2010 that the proposed Leith biomass plant "would not be commercially viable" without the subsidies.)

The consultation is open from now until early January 2012, see more details here (Biomass is in Section 3). http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/10/27123530/0

The No Leith Biomass campaign group will be responding, as are many other environmental groups. Individuals and community groups should also respond. It is easy to do as the Consultation poses specific questions for you to answer, you don't even need to plan and write from scratch. Here is Greener Leith's Draft response, for starters, to get you going! https://docs.google.com/document/d/16Jb9SG_GqADCvp-hKvlGIGg2U6hiINn_BV2Z4BuClh4/edit?hl=en_GB&pli=1#

Or just watch this space for more news soon on other ways to support the campaign to remove these subsidies!

S4M-00616 A motion has been lodged by Jim Eadie (Edinburgh Southern, SNP): Moving Planet March

That the Parliament supports the Moving Planet march and rally on Saturday 24 September 2011, called by the international non-governmental organisation, 350.org, to mark the Global Day of Climate Action; notes that 350.org calls for a sustainable energy future for the world at 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is what many scientists consider to be the safe upper limit; notes that the event will coincide with the world car-free day and that it will aim to put pressure on global leaders to commit to reducing CO2 levels in advance of the UN Climate Summit in Durban, South Africa, in November 2011, and welcomes the parallel aim of this event, to draw attention to opposition to the proposed Forth Energy biomass plant at Leith Docks.

Please contact your MSP and regional list MSPs as soon as possible. and ask them to sign this motion. To get their contacts, type your post code into www.writetothem.com

Oh, and please join the Moving Plant March

S4M-00748 A Parliamentary Motion has been lodged by Angus MacDonald (Falkirk East, SNP).

Date of Lodging: 29 August 2011

Short Title: UK Committee on Climate Change Comments on Biomass

The motion reads as follows:

That the Parliament notes the recent publication by the influential UK Committee on Climate Change (CCC) of its review of the potential for renewable energy development; in particular notes its comments on biomass, including its preliminary conclusion that "without CCS (carbon capture and storage), biomass would probably be of more value when used outside the power sector"; considers that this conclusion runs counter to Forth Energy's large-scale biomass proposals in Grangemouth, Rosyth, Dundee and Leith; welcomes the Scottish Government's preference for biomass to be deployed in heat-only or combined heat and power schemes, generally prioritised in off gas-grid areas, at a scale appropriate to make best use of both the available heat and local supply; looks forward to the CCC's more detailed assessment of biomass later in 2011, and calls on Scottish ministers to reject Forth Energy's proposals that require ministerial consent.

Please contact your MSP and regional list MSPs and ask them to sign this motion. You can find the contact addresses by typing your post code in to Write to Them.com

At a recent hustings, before the City Centre Ward by-election, I asked all six candidates this question, in public; "If elected, would you support Forth Energy's plans to build a giant biomass power station in Leith docks?" All six candidates (LibDem, Green, Labour, SNP, independent and Conservative) - anxious to be elected, no doubt, said swiftly and decisively "No".

Another possible reason, therefore, for Forth Energy and City of Edinburgh Council to delay on the Leith biomass proposal might have something to do with the City of Edinburgh Council elections. These are due to take place in May 2012.

Because of the Edinburgh trams debacle, and the proposed privatisation of services, confidence in City of Edinburgh Council is already at an all time low. Councillors will, rightly, be nervous about losing their seats. Given the known scale of the local opposition to the biomass plant, we might imagine that both Forth Energy and City of Edinburgh Councillors wish to avoid the Leith biomass proposal becoming a major election issue.