Power project to burn dead cows

Dead cows would be turned into an energy source under the plans

A multi-million-pound project is under way in Aberdeenshire to turn dead cows into a clean energy source.

The new £24m plant being built near Kintore aims to generate electricity for the National Grid by burning animal products supplied by local abattoirs.

The Oran Group wants to create Scotland's first renewable energy plant using animal biomass materials as fuel.

It is using the site of a former rendering plant that caused complaints about smells before it closed in 2004.

Dispel odours

However, Oran said smells would not be a problem because of the new machinery it would install.

It claimed a huge thermal oxidiser would dispel any odours by subjecting them to a two second blast of 1,000C heat.

By the summer, Oran hopes to get permits to begin rendering down animal by-products at the plant.

Within two years, it hopes to have permission to use these same products as a fuel source which it said would generate enough electricity round the clock to power 9,000 homes.

'Exciting project'

General manager Ben Ballantyne said: "The Oran Group will use biomass materials produced in Scotland as renewable fuels to generate a constant supply of power.

"Some of the materials are currently transported long distances from the North East by lorry, so it will be hugely beneficial to the environment to use them locally.

"At the same time, by combining the use of the group's modern rendering plant and renewable energy plant, operating costs for local abattoirs will be significantly reduced."

Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen has welcomed the scheme.

He said: "This is an exciting project that will help Scotland reach its target of producing 18% of our electricity by 2010 from renewable sources."