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STV News
10-07-2025
- Business
- STV News
Building new gas-fired power plant is vital for energy security, according to firm
The boss of the firm behind a new power plant in the north of Scotland has said its development is vital for the country's energy security. Plans have been submitted to create a new gas-fired power plant to the northeast of Peterhead. The facility would be built next to the existing one and use carbon capture to reduce its emissions. Climate campaigners have questioned the need for a new fossil fuel-powered plant and argue that the focus should be on publicly owned renewable energy instead. The current owner of Peterhead Power Station, SSE Thermal, says it is coming to the end of its engineering life and needs to be replaced. Finlay McCutcheon, managing director of SSE Thermal, said: 'They do have an ultimate economic, technical life and they will need to be replaced. 'That's why we at SSE want to build new, replacement power stations that are either abated and decarbonised from day one, which is what we want to do at Peterhead or on a clear pathway to decarbonisation in the future.' The current power plant is one of the biggest polluters in Scotland but those behind plans for the new site say using carbon capture technology could reduce emissions by more than 90%. Carbon dioxide (CO2) created at the plant would be captured, transported to nearby St Fergus at the Acorn project, before the CO2 is pumped out to the North Sea by pipes and stored around 2.5km under the seabed, in a process known as CCUS. However, the delay in the advancement of CCUS means a closure date for the current plant has changed from 2030 until the middle of the next decade. The two sites could also operate side-by-side until 2040, in a 'worst case scenario', according to SSE Thermal. The plans are currently with the Scottish Government, and it will be for ministers to decide if they get the go-ahead. Climate campaigners have urged the Government to reject the proposals. Rosie Hampton, of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: 'What gives us real energy security is publicly owned renewable energy that isn't tied to the volatile international prices of gas and can bring down bills for people whilst also making the necessary energy transition that we need. 'When we think about what delivers for people in the North East of Scotland and the rest of the country, we're looking at things like wind, solar, direct electrification, we're not looking at power stations.' However, SSE Thermal argues that gas-fired power stations will still be needed even during the transition, when the wind doesn't blow or the sun doesn't shine. The current plant has been in operation for more than 40 years. Although its role has changed, when it first started working in the early 1980s, it operated at near full capacity for most of the year. Now, because of the increased use of renewables there can be several days at a time when it isn't generating power. A recent updated environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the new power plant says estimated emissions over its lifespan have increased by around threefold from the original estimates. SSE Thermal said the direct pollution from the proposed plant hasn't increased. The firm's MD said: 'We've updated that to take into account the upstream emissions from the gas that we will use for the new power station. 'What hasn't changed is our assessment of the direct emissions from the power station, that remains exactly the same.' Friends of the Earth Scotland said more than 1,600 people and 30 organisations objected to the plans in a consultation on the updated EIA that closed this week. The current plant employs around 80 full-time staff, and it's estimated that the new site will employ around 240. Jennifer Hemmings has worked at the power plant for four years and believes a new station is vital for the area. 'I think it's very important for me in terms of things like job security and as well for myself moving into a more greener kind of job,' she told STV News. 'I think it would mean job growth, especially in the development phase, when it's getting built, lots of local work.' The Scottish Government said it would not be 'appropriate' to comment on a live application. 'A decision will be taken by ministers in due course, following consideration of the application information, consultation responses and representations made by members of the public,' a spokesperson said. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Herald Scotland
08-07-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Campaigners urge Scot Gov to reject new Peterhead gas plant
17.1 million tonnes of carbon will be generated from the extraction, transportation, and burning of the gas used by the station, which would be located near Peterhead and would be built in cooperation with energy giant Equinor. The existing Peterhead Power Station, which became operational in 1982 and has been labelled 'Scotland's dirtiest power station,' is expected to continue to burn gas until 2040, ten years later than expected. The new station, 'Peterhead 2,' which could be built as early as 2030, would be operational for at least 25 years. The proposed power station has been at the centre of an ongoing row over carbon capture. SSE has argued a robust carbon capture scheme would be in place to ensure 90% of carbon dioxide emitted from the station would be removed from the atmosphere. The proposed system would see emissions captured and sent via underground pipes to nearby St Fergus, where they would be injected into abandoned oil wells deep below the North Sea. However, climate campaigners have expressed scepticism over the plan, contending that a 75% carbon capture rate is a 'more realistic estimate'. They have also argued that the technology only addresses emissions from the station itself, not from so-called 'upstream' emissions like extraction and transportation. More than 30 organisations and 1600 people have objected to the plant's construction, which SSE first submitted for planning permission in 2022, before re-doing their Environmental Impact Assessment late last year in the face of growing public pressure. A joint representation to the Scottish Government dated 7 July 2025 reads: 'The power station would continue to run for at least 10 years beyond Scotland's net zero 2045 date, producing annual emissions of 680,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. '[SSE] assumes that the plant would capture 90-95% of the carbon dioxide generated from the gas power station yet no other carbon capture project in the world has achieved this. A lower capture rate would result in an even greater climate impact. Signatories to the letter include UCU Scotland, Christian Climate Action, Common Weal, Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland, North Sea Knitters, and Uplift. Protestors gathered outside SSE's AGM last year. (Image: Garry F McHarg) In a statement, Friends of the Earth Scotland's oil and gas campaigns manager Rosie Hampton noted: 'Scottish Ministers must use their powers and say no to SSE's Peterhead project which aims to burn expensive, polluting gas for the next 25 years or more. This power station will undermine the transition to renewable power and keep household electricity bills chained to volatile gas prices. Hampton added: 'This energy giant has been shamed into admitting that its plans create nearly three times more climate wrecking emissions than feared. Even these extreme pollution figures are likely to be an underestimate because its carbon capture technology will inevitably fail as it has done everywhere else it has been tested. 'Ministers must say no to new gas and instead support climate solutions that we know work today and improve lives – upgrading public transport, insulating homes and creating green jobs in credible industries with a secure future.' Read more: Ambulance waiting times for critically ill patients on rise in all 32 councils Ten per cent of Scottish women 'sexually assaulted at work' Calls for public inquiry into Alex Salmond 'conspiracy' after Herald interview A series of First Ministers have been accused of breaching the ministerial code over alleged support for the project, including Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf. However, John Swinney has rejected calls for an ethics inquiry into meetings and visits taken by Mr Yousaf and Ms Sturgeon relating to the proposed power station. In contrast to arguments by Friends of the Earth, SSE has long argued their plan would cut emissions, as the existing Peterhead Power Plant is phased out over the next fifteen years. A letter setting out the vision for the new station reads: ' To make sure a renewables-led system can truly deliver for the UK, the reality is the system also needs flexibility to provide power when the wind isn't blowing, or the sun isn't shining. At the moment that's delivered through conventional power generation, like the existing Peterhead Power Station." 'What SSE wants to deliver is flexible generation that is low-carbon in its own right, ensuring the lights are kept on while dramatically reducing emissions.' An SSE spokesperson added: 'The recent Environmental Impact Assessment was produced to reflect updated planning policy and our assessment of the direct emissions has not changed. "The UK and Scottish Governments and the Climate Change Committee agree that carbon capture is essential to reaching net zero. Decarbonising Peterhead - Scotland's only large-scale flexible power station - is key to delivering low-carbon power, supporting clean energy and protecting jobs in the North East."
