South Gloucestershire | Archive | 2006 | February | 3
From the archive, first published Friday 3rd Feb 2006.
OLDBURY power station could be become a significant "green" energy producer after nuclear power generation ceases in less then three years time.
Electricity production from wind or tidal power is one of the options likely to be considered by industry chiefs after the Severnside atom plant shuts down in December 2008.
The station could be returned to a virtual "green field" status by the mid to late 2030s if site owners, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, get the go ahead for "accelerated" decommissioning procedures.
The station Site Stakeholder Group is now embarking on a local parish consultation programme seeking community views on a range of possible options for the site.
Group members heard this week that although unlikely a "new build" nuclear station on the site had not been officially ruled out.
Chairman Malcolm Lynden said he personally favoured the nuclear route.
"But if the government does decide that Oldbury is not top choice for a new nuclear station then we shall have to come up with alternative uses for the site," he said. "And we have to narrow it down to attractive and viable possibilities."
The group is to seek views on a limited number of options including power generation using non-fossil fuel technology including renewables and also a "mixed economy " use of the site's existing facilities and assets. These could include education or institutional use; leisure (possibly including fishing of the station reservoir and River Severn); technical and commercial based on redevelopment of previously built-on land and possibly including limited power generation. Other potential uses could be storage and/or disposal of waste and also composting or simply returning site to agricultural use.
Stakeholder group vice-chairman Mike Hawkins - a member of a sub-group tasked with identifying suitable "end uses" for the site - said the favoured option was for non-fossil fuel power generation. But he warned that renewables such as wind power could never come close to replacing the power output of the existing nuclear station.
"I have heard on estimate that it would require 4,500 two megawatt turbines - occupying an area roughly the size of Birmingham - just to replace what the old lady (the current power station) puts out," he said. "Wind is not going to give you baseload power. So often, when the weather is at its coldest, the wind is just not there."
Thornbury councillor Neil Halsall said the future of the station was of concern to a wider area, including Thornbury, and merited wider consultation. He recommended the group enlist help from South Gloucestershire Council planning chiefs.
"If you're only asking local parishes you'll end up talking to 16 people when you should be taking the question to 14,000 and giving them the chance to speak," he said.
© Newsquest Media Group 2008