Seven arrested over biomass plant protest

Published on Monday 16 May 2011 18:46

POLICE used angle grinders and scaffolding to clear two road blockades which blocked access to Grangemouth refinery for almost eight hours yesterday.

Seven of the protesters were due to appear in court today over their part in the protest against a planned biomass plant.

One blockade featured five protesters holding hands and lying on the South Shore Road in a circle, their arms covered by steel tubes and wrapped in padding.

At the other, protester Johnny Agnew, 24, from Edinburgh, sat on top of a 20ft high metal tripod in North Shore Road from 7:45am until he was taken off by police on scaffolding at 3:30pm.

Specialist officers from Strathclyde and Tayside police forces assisted Central Scotland in making sure they were moved safely and without injury.

Forth Energy, which runs the site, said fuel tankers were held up by the protest, but would ultimately deliver as planned.

It refused to say how many tankers were planned to exit the plant for security reasons.

The protest group Action Against Agrofuels (AAA), which had 20 people at the site, argues wood burning is not an environmentally sound source of energy because of the necessary deforestation, and fossil fuels are needed to power ships delivering wood from other continents.

Forth Energy has plans for four biomass plants - in Grangemouth, Leith, Rosyth and Dundee. AAA claims the four sites would burn the equivalent of two thirds of the wood the UK currently produces each year.

Mandy Meikle, 46, from Lanarkshire, said: "We have come from all over the UK to raise awareness that biomass is not as green as some people think.

"Demand is going up and there's less and less forestation. All other renewable energies use less fossil fuels to create than they replace - biomass uses 150 per cent more."

Mr Agnew said: "We want to make as much impact as we can."

The protesters also want to put pressure on the Scottish Government to end subsidies for biomass.

Maryla Hart, 27, from Bedfordshire, said: "They will get 300 million a year in subsidies. We will keep protesting until renewable subsidies are changed."Calum Wilson, managing director of Forth Energy, said: "The proposed Renewable Energy Plant at Grangemouth will use sustainably sourced fuel, produce low-carbon electricity and heat, and is safe.

"This plant will produce 84 per cent less carbon than current average electricity generation from the national grid."

Seven people were arrested for causing an obstruction to a public road and were expected to appear at Falkirk Sheriff Court today.

Superintendent Robbie McGregor, Falkirk area commander, said: "The protesters were given every opportunity to end their demonstration and having failed to do so were arrested for causing an obstruction."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Biomass is a low carbon, sustainable energy option and it has a role to play in contributing towards our heat and renewable electricity targets."