Scots know-how goes to Mexico

SCOTTISHPOWER’S Spanish owner will use the carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology developed at its Longannet power station on similar projects in Mexico after the UK Government last week withdrew funding for the Fife scheme.

Iberdrola said it would also use the lessons learned at the CCS demonstrator project – which was scrapped after £1 billion in funding was pulled – to build a gas-fired power station in Kent and to convert Cockenzie in East Lothian from burning coal to gas.

News of the technology spreading around the world comes as one industry source questioned whether the Westminster government had been right to use “competitive procurement” for the project.

The source said the competition meant it was difficult to modify the project specifications to reflect changing costs – leading to ScottishPower’s project being priced at about £1.5bn when contingency amounts were added in, matching a similar scheme suggested by Eon.