Ayrshire Power plans coal power station

Energy company Ayrshire Power wants to build a power station with experimental carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology on a site at Hunterston near Largs in Scotland. If its proposal succeeds, the plant would be the first in the UK.

According to Ayrshire Power, which is owned by Peel Energy, the plant could meet the energy needs of 3m homes.

This is the first application for a coal-fired station anywhere in the UK since environmental rules forcing new coal plants to be fitted with carbon capture technology were introduced last year.

The plans are expected to be formally submitted to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit today.

It will then enter a “gate checking” phase while the Government ensures all the information needed for a full assessment of the proposals is included, before being put forward for public consultation.