Portland campaigners worry energy costs could drive incineration interest
'Stop Portland Waste Incinerator' group has been holding talks about the impact of proposals.
Campaigners fighting proposals for a waste incinerator planned for Portland are worried about the impact of rising energy bills.
They say rising costs could drive more interest in incinerators from investors, prompting more to be built across the country.
The 'Stop Portland Waste Incinerator' has been holding talks about the topic, particularly Powerfuel Portland which is yet to be approved.
It could provide enough energy to power 30,000 homes.
But they say incinerators are a risk to public health and the environment.
Giovanna Lewis is a member of the group. She said:
"We have to be very careful because all of the people who want to make money on what we call dirty energy which is incineration, fossil fuels etc, will now be jumping on the bandwagon saying 'Oh gosh we need to start fracking, build nuclear and open up all these oil wells.
"We're in a climate emergency, we're also in a health emergency. The quality of the air that we breath is disgraceful in many parts of the country.
"There was an all party parliamentary review on incineration and they're calling for better research on the health impacts of people who live within a 10km radius of incinerators."
Giles Frampton, Director of Powerfuel, said:
“There are over 40 similar ERFs already operating safely in the UK, of which the Portland ERF would be one of the new generation, most advanced facilities.
"All ERFs operate under strict regulations and are constantly monitored to ensure there is no negative impact on health or the environment.
“During our pre-application consultation with local residents there was some unease about the emissions levels from the facility’s stack.
"To further limit the potential that emissions from the ERF could have any measurable impact on air quality or local ecology, Powerfuel has increased the height of the stack to improve the emission dispersion."
But Giovanna believes reducing our energy demand is the way forward - not building incinerators that could potentially harm the environment.
Talks are being held by the group to raise awareness of what Powerfuel Portland plans to build if it's given the go ahead.
Giovanna said:
"There are lots of things that can be done to reduce our energy demand. When you think of the amount of energy that's used to produce single-use items that end up in the tip. It's disgraceful.
"We're hoping to help build the campaign, help inform people, widen and broaden their perspective on the whole incineration problem."
You can find out more about the campaign on their website.