University embarks on power plan

Wood chips will come from nearby sustainable sources

The University of East Anglia (UEA) is set to become one of the first in the country to have its own power station.

The foundations have been laid for an £8m biomass generator which will convert wood chips into electricity at the site in Norwich.

The initiative aims to cut the university's carbon emissions by more than a third in two years.

The power station will use locally-sourced wood chips and should pay for itself within five years, the UEA said.

The university said it already generates 60% of its own electrical power on site.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Bill Macmillan said: "As you would expect from a university with a world-renowned School of Environmental Sciences, we take our energy efficiency seriously and are committed to practising what we preach in tackling climate change.

"At a time of deep concern over energy security and costs, this also makes sound financial sense and it secures our future energy supplies as our wood will come from sustainable plantations very close to the campus."