Well, I’ve been following this story for almost a year and even now – not all of Leith seems to be in the know regarding the application to build a biomass power plant at the docks by Forth Energy.
When I camped out at the Leith Community Centre pre-Christmas in order to record some audio vox-pops on the subject – I was met with blank looks or at best an acceptance of a fait accompli. However, the fat lady is only warming up and if her musical trillings have not yet been heard then there is still debate and decision to be made on both sides of the argument.
Indeed, Forth Energy have only just made their application and there is a 28 day consulting period in which the public have an opportunity to make its’ opinion known to the Scottish Government in writing or by email. Obviously, it is in the interest of Forth Energy to engage with the people of Leith as a legal requirement and to that end will hold further exhibitions around the port for the 28 day period. I shall include both the exhibition venues and dates, along with the government contact details at the end of this piece.
Just before disappearing into the swirling blizzards of north-east Scotland for Yuletide – I was fortunate enough to secure and record audio interviews with Calum Wilson, the Managing Director of Forth Energy along with Labour’s Malcolm Chisholm and Shirley-Anne Somerville of the SNP. Mr Chisholm and Ms Somerville are leading a cross-party effort to stymie the application on environmental concerns and hold a moritorium in order to fully scrutinize the green credentials of the proposals.
The interviews will be posted here on Firehorse Findings in the next week. Interested parties have until the 11th of March to write to the government with their views on the proposals. Be reminded that you can still access my original articles on this subject, here on the blog.
If you wish to see the exhibitions by Forth Energy regarding the plant you can view them at the following locations: –
Monday 31st January – Monday 7th February: – Leith Library, 28-30 Ferry Road, Edinburgh EH6 4AE (Mon to Thurs: 10am to 8pm; Fri: 10am to 5pm; Sat: 9am to 1pm).
Tuesday 8th February to Monday 21st February: – Ocean Terminal, Ocean Drive, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6JJ (Mon to Fri: 10am to 8pm; Sat: 10am to 7pm; Sun: 11am to 6pm).
Tuesday 22nd February to Friday 11th March: – City of Edinburgh Council, Urban Room, Waverley Court, Market Street, Edinburgh EH8 8BG (Mon to Thurs: 8.30 am to 5 pm; Fri: 8.30 am to 3.40 pm).
Any comments you wish to make will be taken into consideration when the Scottish Government makes the decision on whether to grant permission to Forth Energy or not. These comments should be forwarded to: –
The Scottish Government, Energy Consents and Deployment Unit, 4th Floor, 5 Atlantic Quay, 150 Broomielaw, GLASGOW G2 8LU
Or by email to leithbiomass@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
