The EU Commission rules on Lynemouth power station state aid issues

The European Commission has concluded that UK support for the conversion of Lynemouth power station from coal to biomass complies with EU state aid rules. The Commission found that the project will further EU environmental and energy goals without unduly distorting competition. In December 2014 the UK notified plans to subsidise the conversion of the coal-fired Lynemouth power plant to biomass. The plant would be able to generate 420 MW of electricity running exclusively on wood pellets. The UK Government intends to support the project in the form of a premium paid on top of the market price of the electricity generated (a so-called "Contract for Difference"). The project will receive aid until 2027 and, according to UK estimates, will generate about 2.3 TWh of low-carbon electricity per year. The plant is due to use approximately 1.5 million tonnes of wood pellets per year, mainly sourced from the United States, Canada and Europe.

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