hunterston mock up by ayrshire power

1. We don’t need new coal!

An independent analysis by leading energy consultancy Garrad Hassan reveals that new coal is neither necessary to meet Scotland’s energy needs, nor desirable on cost grounds.

What Hunterston means for global justice...

2. More climate chaos

The proposed new powerstation at Hunterston would make a mockery of Scottish Parliament’s much lauded carbon reduction ambitions, pumping out at least 8 million tones per year for at least a decade. By 2020 this will be equivalent to a quarter of Scotland’s entire emissions budget – hardly an inspiration for ordinary people to ‘do their bit’.

open cast coal mine indonesia

3. More hunger

The power station would burn biomass (wood chip) as well as coal. Supplying biomass on the scale proposed will require about 80,000 hectares worth of overseas forest every year. There’s a real risk that this will come from low-cost, unsustainable operations in tropical forest regions, or from land which is needed for food crops. Europe’s demand for biomass is already causing hunger and food insecurity for communities across the world, particularly in Africa.

4. More human rights abuses

Coal for Hunterston is likely to come from cheap sources like Colombia and Indonesia, where the mining industry is associated with human rights abuses, and is responsible for causing widespread respiratory ill-health and major river pollution from toxic tailings.

What Hunterston means for Scotland

Kalimantan coal trucks

5. Financial risk

Contrary to guidelines for CCS developments, Ayrshire Power have identified just one potential storage site; if this proves unviable or insufficient – a very real risk given the uncertainties surrounding this technology – the Scottish consumer or taxpayer may have to bear the extra costs of transport of CO2 to alternative storage locations.

6. A set back for renewables

The electricity from Hunterston will be mostly exported South of the border, eating up a significant chunk of our existing transmission capacity. Reduced capacity to export Scottish renewable energy means a weaker economic case for investing in renewables.  This is bad news for Scottish jobs: the evidence is widespread that renewables and energy conservation offer more employment (particularly local employment) than coal.

7. A setback for CCS development

There are existing plants which could be retrofitted with CCS. Such a trial would have more value, both economically and environmentally, than the new-build CCS planned for Hunterston, because it is retrofit CCS technology on existing power stations that will deliver real carbon reductions, in Scotland and around the world. 

What Hunterston means for the local area

hunterston site pretty

8. A blow to biodiversity

Building a new power station at Hunterston would destroy a substantial part of the Portencross Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), resulting in the loss of over 30 ha of rare intertidal habitats – important feeding grounds for a range of waterfowl and waders. It would also raise local temperatures in the Clyde by as much as 14ºC for prolonged periods of time, which could have unpredictable and damaging impacts on key species.

9. A scar on the landscape

As the Scottish National Heritage have concluded, “the development is – put simply – of a massive scale that cannot fit into the much smaller scale of the local landscape”, and would have “significant adverse visual impacts” on recognised and popular destinations across North Ayrshire and Arran.

10. A threat to health and jobs

The proposed powerstation would introduce visual, noise, and air pollution to an area whose local economy is heavily reliant on tourism. This prospect has provoked powerful opposition from local residents.

Read our formal objection to Hunterston for more detail.

Take Action

Add your voice to the campaign to stop new coal at Hunterston!

sand bird at hunterston: Sand art by Jamie Wooley in support of the campaign against new coal at Hunterson. © Nigel King, Blue River Studios