16th Jun 2006 10:32
Scottish & Southern Energy PLC16 June 2006 SSE PROPOSALS FOR ASH SEPARATION PROJECT AT FIDDLER'S FERRY Scottish and Southern Energy plc ("SSE") and RockTron Limited ("RockTron") haveagreed to co-operate in the completion of a venture which is expected to lead tothe construction, at SSE's Fiddler's Ferry power station in Cheshire, of thefirst plant in the UK to separate the ash arising from electricity generationinto constituent mineral parts for sale as cement substitute products andindustrial minerals. The announcement of this venture took place during a visit to Fiddler's Ferrytoday by the Rt Hon David Miliband MP, Secretary of State for the Environment,Food and Rural Affairs. The ash which arises from the combustion of coal is currently stored in lagoonsat the Fiddler's Ferry site and in other landfill sites around the UK. Theprocess developed by RockTron results in the ash being separated into itsmineral parts, mainly cement substitutes alpha(TM) and delta(TM), and industrialfillers for plastic and paint. In the UK over two million tonnes of cement substitute products are sold eachyear. This is likely to grow significantly as a result of environmentalpressures. The use of these substitutes eliminates the need for acarbon-intensive limestone kilning process in cement production. Fiddler's Ferry currently produces around 300,000 tonnes of ash each year andthere is a substantial stockpile of usable ash at the site. The plant will process up to 800,000 tonnes of ash a year which would supply theproduct to the North West of England, a part of the country which is currentlynot supplied with cement substitute products. By providing an alternative to theuse of the limestone kilning process, it is estimated that this would help toreduce carbon emissions by around 500,000 tonnes a year. Developing the plant would require investment of around £17m. SSE and RockTronexpect to make a final decision on whether to proceed with this developmentlater this year. Construction work would begin soon thereafter. During his visit Mr Milliband said: "I look forward to hearing about theinnovative work being done here at Fiddler's Ferry. Energy companies have animportant role to play in driving down the UK's emissions as we move to a lowcarbon economy." Ian Marchant, Chief Executive of SSE, said: "I have no doubt that we have inthis development a potential solution to the long-standing issue of ashproduction from electricity generation at coal-fired power stations. This isanother example of the work we are doing to minimise the environmental impactsarising from these stations. That bodes well for the long-term contribution thatwe believe coal can make to securing the UK's supplies of energy." Lord Wade, Chairman of RockTron said: "SSE's commitments to a cleanerenvironment makes them an ideal partner for RockTron, which sees itself as anenvironmental remediation company. The Fiddler's Ferry plant will be the firstof its kind in the world and offers the three major benefits of producing highadded value industrial minerals, eliminates the need for storing ash in lagoonsand landfill sites, and helps to reduce carbon emissions by about 500,000 tonnesper annum." Enquiries to: Scottish and Southern EnergyAlan Young, Director of Corporate Communications 0870 900 0410Denis Kerby, Investor and Media Relations Manager 0870 900 0410 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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