Eccleshall Biomass Power Station

Eccleshall Biomass Farming for Energy (Eccleshall, near Stafford) is a 2 megawatt power plant for the generation of electricity fuelled by energy crops and will be able to provide 2,000 homes with electricity.

Closeup of the solar roof on the Alexander Stadium

Miscanthus is the main fuel and will be grown locally

Eccleshall Biomass is a partnership of local companies: Raleigh Hall Properties and Talbott’s. The partnership has already been successful in receiving one of the five UK grants from the DTI Bioenergy Capital Grants Scheme to establish power generation plants fuelled by energy crops.

The energy crop used is Miscanthus- a non-invasive, sterile, perennial grass. This offers diversification opportunities and long term fuel supply contracts for up to 60 local farms. A new company; BiEcc Ltd has already been established by local farmers to co-ordinate fuel supply.

Rural employment will also be created on site in construction, operation and maintenance of the plant and in the supply of fuel.

The plant, provided by Talbott’s, consists of a power house, miscanthus bale storage and wood chip reception bays.

Key Facts:

  • The plant generates electricity using steam turbine technology. It will contribute 16,000MW/hrs of renewable energy direct to the network at 95% load factor.
  • The plant will operate for 8,000 hours per year on a 24 hour basis.
  • The plant uses 22,000 tonnes per year of fuel to generate 2MW of electricity (the demand equivalent to 2,000 average households).
  • Traffic generated in delivering 52 tonnes per day of fuel will typically result in 8 vehicle movements daily.
  • The power plant is designed to ensure there will be no additional noise nuisance above existing background noise during its 24 hour operation.
  • Emissions have been voluntarily set to a higher standard than the regulatory requirements for air quality. Performance will be monitored by Stafford Borough Council.
  • The plant saves 1 tonne per hour of CO2 which would be emitted generating electricity from fossil fuel.
  • Residues from the plant will be in the form of ash at approx 1,100 tonnes per year (5% of fuel input). They will be used as fertiliser and spread on local farms.