Campaigners to continue new power station fight

ENVIRONMENTAL protection groups have vowed to fight on to halt plans for a coal-fired power station at Hunterston after developers prepared to submit their proposal for full planning permission next Wednesday.

The 3 billion development on the Ayrshire coast has been met with protests from local residents and environmental groups, who claim the proposed replacement for the existing nuclear power station will damage the environment and undermine the Scottish Government's pledge to "de-carbonise" the energy sector by 2030.

Conservation charity WWF said that it was preparing to resist the plans, claiming that the development would "make a mockery of Scotland's world-leading Climate Change Act".

Dr Dan Barlow, WWF Scotland's head of policy, said: "Any proposal as big as this which fails to capture all its carbon emissions from day one would undermine Scottish Government plans to de-carbonise the power sector."

Campaigners had hoped that Peel Energy, parent of the plant's developer, Ayrshire Power, would scrap the plans after a key backer pulled out last year.

However, in March, the company confirmed it would be pushing on with plans for the 1.6 gigawatt scheme, which could power three million homes.