Planners give the green light to bioethanol plant

Around 570 jobs will be created thanks to Grimsby planners, who gave the "green" light for a new bioethanol plant in the town.

North East Lincolnshire Council planning chiefs gave Vireol the go ahead to build a new £150-million plant on Moody Lane to help cut the nation's carbon footprint. Ethanol is a fuel which can be blended with petrol in concentrations of up to 24 per cent in modern car engines without any need to modify vehicles.

The Government has ordered that all petrol has to have a five per cent blend of bioethanol by 2010 to cut greenhouse gases.

And soon, around half-a-million tonnes of Lincolnshire grown wheat will be transformed into fuel at the new plant.

It is estimated production at the former Acordis factory will cut carbon emissions by around 100,000 tonnes - the equivalent of taking 100,000 cars off the nation's roads.

Vireol's technical and operations manager Jed Russell told planners about 500 construction jobs will be created to build the plant and 70 permanent jobs once the site is running.

He said: "This is going to be a big part of the UK's contribution to reducing greenhouse gases."

After the decision to go ahead with the new plant Mr Russell said: It is a tremendous boost. It is a huge milestone."

To counter criticisms the wheat needed for the new plant would mean higher food costs, Mr Russell said: "We are not taking food out of people's mouths."

He said work on the new plant will begin in the autumn and production will start in autumn 2010.

Planners heard environmental watchdog Natural England had removed a previous objection they had to the proposal because the North Yorkshire firm agreed to provide a habitat for water voles and birds nearby.

Coun Mick Burnett, (Lab, Croft Baker) said: "This puts us at the forefront of the bioethanol industry."

But he was concerned about the impact of 120 lorry journeys to and from the plant each day.

Committee chairman Coun Philip Jackson (Con, Waltham) said most of the Lincolnshire-grown wheat destined for the plant in the future was currently transported for export through Immingham Dock.

He said: "There is not going to be a net carbon footprint increase."

Coun Colin Eastwell (LibDem, Croft Baker) said: "It is regeneration on an industrial site.

"My concern is how long the contracts for the 500,000 tonnes of wheat will last."

Coun Bill Parkinson (Con, Haverstoe) said: "I still worry about this technology. It has been blamed for increasing worldwide food prices. I do not feel useful land should be used to produce bioethanol for fuel."