Power plan to heat seawater by 14C will devastate ecology warns RSPB

THE sea around a planned coal fired power station could rise in temperature by up to 14C with a potentially devastating impact on the ecology of the area, The Scotsman has learned.

The controversial 3 billion Hunterston power plant in North Ayrshire would discharge water from its cooling systems into two areas of the Firth of Clyde — at Southannan Sands and Hunterston Sands.

According to an environmental statement put together by applicant Ayrshire Power, this would result in the water rising in temperature by up to 14C at Southannan Sands and by up to 8C at Hunterston Sands.

The conservation group RSPB Scotland has warned this could damage species living in the spots, and the birds that feed on them. It could also encourage alien invasive species that usually live in warmer climes to thrive, according to the charity.

Aedn Smith, RSPB's head of planning and development, said the temperature rise could have "potentially hugely damaging impacts".

"The proposed development will result in a huge increase in the temperature of the seawater around the plant, by some 14C, and no attempt has been made to model the scale, extent and effect of this," he said.

"The impacts on the flora and fauna are completely uncertain, but changes could have a follow-on effect throughout the food chain.

"Combined with more disturbance and new artificial structures this could aid the spread of invasive, non-native species, and bring about further impacts on the unique character and ecological system, altering its make-up and having knock-on effects on other key species for which it is designated as an SSSI."

The environmental statement reveals that about 81 cubic metres per second of water used for cooling processes at the power station would circulated into the estuary, and it would be a higher temperature than the sea.

It goes on to say that the temperature increase due to the discharge of cooling water could affect the intertidal and subtidal habitats, potentially with "changes in the distribution and composition of communities of marine organisms".

"Under the conditions modelled the natural background (modelled at 10C) will be exceeded by up to 14C on Southannan Sands and 8C over Hunterston Sands," the report says.

"The results also indicate that the warm conditions will remain for significant periods of time, particularly during the neap (least extreme] tides."

Among creatures that could be affected are the lugworm, identified by large coils of sand on beaches, which may be unable to reproduce if temperatures do not fall below 10C. They are an important food for birds such as oystercatcher, curlew, redshank, shelduck and eider.

A type of kelp, Lamminaria sacchoriza, and bootlace weed, Chorda filum, may also be less successful if water temperatures rise significantly, according to the statement. It says other species, including the invasive seaweed Japanese wireweed, could become more prevalent.

A spokesman for Ayrshire Power, owned by the Peel Group, said: "Ayrshire Power has undertaken very comprehensive environmental impact assessments in relation to the proposed development at Hunterston.

"These assessments included analysis of the possible impact of the cooling water discharge ,which showed any impact will be limited and very localised."

Thousands of people are believed to have objected to the planned power station, which would be the first fossil-fuel plant in Scotland for more than three decades. A consultation into the planning application closes on 20 August.