I attended the consultation event regarding Clean Power Properties Ltd with an open mind and a keen interest as I live within very close proximity to the proposed site.
One residnet expresses his concerns about proposals for a Clean Energy Plant in Forres
On reading your headline in the August 8 edition of the ‘Gazette’ I am amazed that it reads: “We’ve come clean on green energy plan!”
I am sorry to say that this company did very little to ensure that they did just that, indeed they fell well short of clear answers. They fumbled and lied and could not give a decent answer to any of my own questions; this directly from their representative that was quoted in your paper.
Lets strip it down a bit.
On noticing that there was obvious positive spin everywhere, my neighbour asked what the risks were; “None” was the answer. Pressed by me that there surely are dangers and that every company has to have risk assessments to identify and mitigate them the answer was that yes they did have them but there’s “nothing to worry about”. How ridiculous is that? Aside from normal risk assessments, surely there must also be forthcoming an environmental impact assessment.
I also heard flooding concerns mentioned. They noted that work would not go ahead until the River Findhorn Flood Alleviation works were completed. This does not really account for a tidal flood does it? With farm waste being a main source of the waste being processed there, I dread to think how a flood would affect the surrounding homes.
I challenged their claim that “there will be no noise impact beyond the site boundary” they said that “because this is a closed-air environment, the noise is contained”. I further noted that this is, in their words “a 24-hour operation with the plant working 24 hours a day”. The fact that noise travels, especially at night, it is impossible for them to lay claim that noise would be contained to within the site boundary.
Their response was that through consultation with Moray Council they would agree on delivery times etc. I further noted that this was not my point; my point is that I can hear everything going up my street at night and that they cannot guarantee a drone of machinery would not affect me. They simply could not answer further.
I noted that they claimed that they would not be taking waste from outwith Moray, apart from approaching Highland Council, and that each run of the machinery needs 20 tonnes of waste. I asked if they had waste figures from Moray and the wider area. They said they had, but did not know what they were nor indeed that they had them with them.
I came clean on my point that I felt Moray did not produce enough waste to sustain 20 tonnes at a time and they would indeed need to take from out with to sustain the process. Again, no answer was forthcoming. On further investigation after the event, Moray and Highland Council certainly do not produce enough waste to meet a continued 20 tonne processes.
I asked what actually came out of the two towers? The answer was “mainly steam and about 000. Nothing of the bad stuff and we’re strictly regulated by the Environment Agency”. How vague is that? What exactly is “the bad stuff?
As anyone would be, I was keen to understand the following claims made by them in the press and on their own website www.cleanpowerproperties.com: “A typical Clean Power Properties energy recovery centre produces renewable energy for around 10,000 local homes, supplied through the local energy network.
“Clean Power renewable energy plants provide green energy (heat and power) to adjoining occupiers, enabling sustainable development that meets government and corporate objectives and responsibilities.
“Tenants and residential occupiers can benefit from stable energy costs and, additional value is generated by being within a sustainable working and living environment.”
I asked how this works, how we see a reduction in our electricity costs and how we benefit from heat to our homes. The answer to this laid bare my accusation that there were lies told. They said that electricity produced goes straight into the national grid. I asked how that benefits me as they claim by reduced costs and they admitted that it does not.
Through further discussion, it transpired that the claim to providing heating to local homes and businesses was also a lie and that for this to happen would need agreement and allot of infrastructure changes and local authority agreement for this to happen. I pointed out that this was not a reality and they agreed. They also agreed when I stated that this was false claims being made by them.
So, I am sorry, but they have left more questions than answers and their entire approach to this has been amateurish. In fact, they insulted our collective intelligence. I agree with others who ask why such a facility needs to be built so close to our town, especially when the benefits they claim we will reap are clearly false.
The only people who benefit out of this are the company and probably Network Rail.
Nathan Matthews, Tytler Street, Forres.
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