Scottish Business News

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Current news stories - July 2008

Week Ending 1st August

Prototype Turbine Switched On

A turbine designed to be the forerunner of the UK's first commercial wave power station has been officially switched on. The device on Islay was set in motion by Scottish Energy Minister, Jim Mather. The turbine has been installed at Wavegen?s Limpet facility and was developed with support from the Scottish Government's Wave and Tidal Energy Support (Wates) scheme.

Dr Roland Muench, of Voith Siemens Hydro, Wavegen's parent company, said he believed harnessing ocean energy would become a growth sector. Inverness-based Wavegen plans to install 40 of the turbines off Siader on Lewis in the Western Isles.

Wind Farm Extension Approved

The Crystal Rig windfarm near Dunbar is to be extended by a capacity great enough to power more than 13,000 homes. First Minister Alex Salmond announced the £22 million investment during a visit to Natural Power, the Dumfries and Galloway based company that operates Crystal Rig.

Officially opening new office space at Natural Power's Headquarters, Mr Salmond said, "Scotland is already home to Natural Power's headquarters here in Dumfries and Galloway. This expansion to its office space will enable the creation of 50 new jobs, accommodating up to 85 staff, more than double the current workforce, and further expand the company's operations - a real boost to the local economy.?

Scottish Government Consults on Zero Waste

The Scottish Government is considering "deposit and return" schemes for bottles as part of a consultation on how to create a "zero waste" society.

Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said, "The Scottish Government is committed to achieving a recycling rate of 70% and cutting municipal waste sent to landfill to 5% by 2025. He added "The time is now right for a major push towards making these targets a reality to help limit the effects of climate change?.

Deposit and return schemes used to operate on a non-statutory basis in Scotland. Consumers were charged a deposit for some bottles which was given back when they were returned. The bottles were then sent back to the manufacturer for re-filling rather than recycling. The Scottish Government said the scheme could also be extended to other materials, including aluminium trays from takeaways and tin cans. The use of "reverse vending", where a consumer feeds the empty bottle or container into a machine for financial reward, is also being considered. In Denmark, where the deposit and return scheme is statutory, deposits apply to all cans and bottles containing beer, cider, soft drinks, alcopops and energy drinks. Denmark's return rate for bottles for recycling is about 85%, and approaching about 100% for bottles designed for re-use.

Among other proposals in the consultation are increased recycling facilities at sports grounds, shopping centres, beaches and cinemas. The full consultation is broken down into seven areas:

? Duties on public bodies and business to provide recycling facilities
? Packaging
? Specifying recyclate
? Waste prevention plans
? Deposit and return
? Mandatory waste data returns from business
? Other measures to encourage waste prevention, including action on carrier bags

Glasgow?s Plans to Autoclave Waste

Glasgow City Council has outlined plans to spend £135 million on autoclaving waste treatment technology. This is believed to be the largest investment by a local authority in this technology. Glasgow?s plans include three autoclave across the city, each capable of handling between 100,000 and 150,000 tonnes of mixed waste a year. Together they could save around £25 million a year in landfill tax by 2011/12. The Council hopes that autoclave waste treatment technology will help to capture materials from difficult to include flats.

The Glasgow report, ?Waste Management Option Appraisal' prepared for the Council's Executive Committee, did include the possibility of adding gasification and incineration at a later date as a secondary waste treatment processes. Council figures suggest gasification could cost £133 million, while energy-from-waste would be around £185 million. Biological treatment processes were not considered further once it was obvious that they would be incapable of helping Glasgow to meet its recycling and composting targets.