Plans have been unveiled for a major £20 million wood-fired energy plant in Lochaber which could provide enough heating and light for around 10,000 homes.
Dumfries-shire-based Northern Energy Developments Ltd, which already has consent for two plants in Argyll, has lodged plans with Highland Council for a site at Invergarry.
If approval is given, it will be built on the site of the former Forestry Commission Scotland depot, which is surplus to its requirements and earmarked on the local plan for industrial use.
The company says the development could create six jobs and around 15 indirect employment opportunities in and around the Invergarry area.
In addition to its Argyll sites at Cowal and Lochgilphead, the company has a plant in the north-east of England.
But proposals for a £15 million development at Benderloch near Oban were shelved last year after opposition from villagers.
However, commission spokesman Kevin Peace said yesterday that the agency was supportive of measures to reduce carbon emissions and increase levels of renewable energy.
"Projects like this fit the bill so we are generally supportive of the idea and – if the planning application is approved by Highland Council – would be happy to lease the site to Northern Energy.
"As well as generating green energy, the plant will make use of locally grown small round-wood, which will help to stimulate the local economy."
The plants are based around using locally sourced low-grade forest material, such as woodchip, which is burned in a high-energy combustion chamber.
"This then drives a turbine, generating electricity for the national grid.
"It's very tried and tested in Europe where about 60 per cent of renewable energy used in Europe is by biomass," said Fergus Tickell, the company's managing director.
He said their aim was to locate the plants on sites which offered the maximum benefit, while having a minimum impact on the surrounding environment and community.
Mr Tickell said: "Each one is a £15 million project, which involves grid connection, using about 60,000 tonnes of timber a year.
"It's very much about creating a local market for local material and taking timber lorries off the roads."
Copyright 2009 Scottish Provincial Press Ltd.
