Britain to try out grass power

LONDON – Work will start this year on Britain’s first major power station fuelled by grass, as Prime Minister Tony Blair tries to make his country more environmentally friendly.

The 6,5-million-pound (about N$80 million) bio-energy power station in Staffordshire, central England, would be run on elephant grass and supply 2 000 homes with electricity, the Guardian daily reports. Amanda Gray, Director of Eccleshall Biomass, the company behind the project, said the power station was vital to the rural industry in Staffordshire, and gave the government a further tool to meet its international obligations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.Burning elephant grass would only release the carbon dioxide that the plants soaked up anyway while they were growing, she said in the newspaper.The Guardian said the plant could be a key element in the quest to tackle climate change — one of Blair’s priorities this year as Britain holds the presidency of the Group of Eight powers and prepares to take on that of the European Union from July 1.Britain generates three per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions despite only comprising one percent of its population, according to the left-leaning newspaper.- Nampa-AFPAmanda Gray, Director of Eccleshall Biomass, the company behind the project, said the power station was vital to the rural industry in Staffordshire, and gave the government a further tool to meet its international obligations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.Burning elephant grass would only release the carbon dioxide that the plants soaked up anyway while they were growing, she said in the newspaper.The Guardian said the plant could be a key element in the quest to tackle climate change — one of Blair’s priorities this year as Britain holds the presidency of the Group of Eight powers and prepares to take on that of the European Union from July 1.Britain generates three per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions despite only comprising one percent of its population, according to the left-leaning newspaper.- Nampa-AFP

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