In depth: Cockenzie - Power to the people

In days gone by it was a beacon of energy. Now Cockenzie is an ecological headache for Lothians

HIGH TOWER: Landmark Cockenzie Power Station is nearing the end of its controversial life

IT HAS dominated the East Lothian coast for more than 40 years and been a major employer for thousands of county residents.

With its 153 metre-high twin chimneys looming over the Forth, Cockenzie Power Station has been an industrial landmark on an otherwise picturesque Forth shoreline.

Never far from controversy, the pressing question in recent times had been what will be done with the site when the current coal-fired plant comes to the end of its natural life on December 31, 2015. That quandary was swiftly sidelined in June last year, when plant operators ScottishPower announced plans to replace the powerhouse with a gas-fired alternative in a move that would secure around 50 jobs.

With the debate divided on party lines - the local authority's SNP/Lib Dem-led administration favour mothballing the station, while the Labour group back developing a new plant - the matter was called in by the Scottish Government Reporter for inquiry after East Lothian Council formally objected to plans for a new plant. A report and recommendation will be passed to ministers for a final decision on the application which is expected before Christmas.

Cockenzie has been generating electricity since 1968 and running at full capacity can power more than 670,000 homes. A surplus is often siphoned to help fulfil energy needs in Northern Ireland.

Community watchdog groups have railed against the new gas-fired proposal, citing worries over emissions, noise pollution and health issues.

The current station has given some cause for concern. Last year in a report for the European Commission, Cockenzie Power Station was branded the dirtiest of its kind in Europe. The plant was criticised as being by far the worst emitter of nitrogen oxides (NOx), producing 50 per cent more NOx than the next-worst plants in Middlesbrough and nearly twice as much as the most polluting plants in Italy.

Cockenzie has been equipped with the latest new-generation modelling software to curtail emissions, and ScottishPower points out that it complies with legislation on emission controls. Advocates of the proposed gas-fired alternative say the combined cycle gas turbine units it would use are more efficient than the existing plant and would emit half the volume of greenhouse gases produced now. However, a 17 kilometre underground gas pipeline supplying the new station with fuel would have to be laid. With a 160-strong workforce today, it is thought around 50 jobs would be secured if the Scottish Government Reporter disregards East Lothian Council objections and approves the new station.

FOR

East Lothian Labour group leader Councillor Willie Innes: I support the retention and conversion of Cockenzie Power Station for local and national reasons.

Locally the station has played a key role in the economy of Prestonpans, Cockenzie and Port Seton for many years.

Cockenzie plays a strategic role in providing the base load energy requirement for Scotland. The absence of a secure, stable energy supply would have a disastrous impact on Scotland's economy. Also, renewable technology produces only a fraction of the base load needed, to rely on such a precarious strategy would be foolhardy.

Converting Cockenzie to gas would bring environmental benefits locally and the construction stage would provide a boost of 1000 jobs.

On completion the station would provide much-needed permanent employment and make a positive economic contribution.

AGAINST

SNP councillor and prospective Holyrood candidate David Berry: I'm sure the station and its jobs were once welcome. But now it's a dinosaur. 50 jobs for a boxy eyesore to continue dominating the Forth shoreline and undermining tourism is simply a bad deal.

"Labour may accept indefinite blight in exchange for 50 jobs but I don't. We need a visionary attraction - a vibrant heart for Prestonpans/Cockenzie/Port Seton that pulls in the crowds. Built around a marina, overlooking the Forth, wildlife of the ash lagoons woven with beaches of the bents by a pathway befitting John Muir, this could provide ten times as many jobs in offices, harbour-side shops and restaurants and, unlike a power station burning scarce fossil fuels, a sustainable future for all.