Low-cost biomass electricity: more wires or more traffic? Available to Purchase

Given the construction of a new wood-fired power station in Scotland and the recent refusal of planning permission for one in Devon, the impacts of such plants need consideration. This paper attempts to answer a simple question: ‘if least-cost options are to be pursued, will an expansion of UK electricity generation from energy crops require strengthening of the electricity grids or will it involve more physical transport of fuel?’. The economies of scale of biomass electricity generation plant and transport costs for biomass fuel are examined. This has been part of a wider ranging study of the effects of an increase in renewable electricity generation on the electricity grid, focusing on the far west of Cornwall. It concludes that the economies of scale in generation are important. The physical transport of fuel to large plants is likely to be cheaper than extending the grid to a large number of smaller ones. Over longer distances the relatively low costs of transport by train and coastal shipping may provide some options for the future.