This week Nathan Tuffy reports on the announcement that Mayo Renewable Power is to construct a 42.5MW combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Killala, Co Mayo. The project is interesting on a number of fronts, most noticeably the fact that initially the 380,000t of biomass required to power the facility is to be sourced from the US. If grown locally, the facility would require farmers to plant over 17,000ha.

A full breakdown of the cost per MW of energy would be interesting given that the cost of construction of the plant per MW appears over four times that of a conventional gas station. The project should also be considered in the context of the need for additional power stations.