The coal power station at Tilbury could be saved by conversion to biomass, it has been revealed.
European law means that the site could have been forced to close by 2015 if it had continued to operate in its current manner, RWE npower spokesman Dan Meredith told Business Green.
However, the plant now plans to switch to biomass and it is hoped that conversion work scheduled for the summer will be sufficient to secure the future of the facility.
"What we're planning to do for the last few years of its life is see if we could convert it," Mr Meredith explained.
"We want to see if the technology is feasible. Using this kind of fuel on this kind of scale hasn't been done before. It makes business sense."
First minister and Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Alex Salmond recently suggested that the growth of the biomass industry can drive the country's recovery from the recession.
Typical Guttridge equipment used in the biomass industry includes:
Conveyors – screw conveyors – chain conveyors – belt conveyors
