An electricity generating company is planning to build three large bio-mass power stations across Yorkshire and North Linconlshire costing £2bn.

Drax Group, which runs the Drax power station near Selby, aims to run three so-called green power plants at Hull, Immingham and one other site.

The third site could be close to the existing Drax plant.

The firm said the three plants would generate 900 megawatts of power for the national grid.

Biomass power plants generate electricity by burning a range of fuels including energy crops, wood chips and other material from renewable sources, the company said.

Carbon footprint

And the firm said planning applications for the plants at Hull and Immingham have already begun.

Company officials said construction of the first of the three plants is expected for late 2010 with power flowing from the unspecified site by 2014.

Drax chief executive Dorothy Thompson said: "We believe our venture into dedicated biomass-fired generation underpins our commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of electricity generation from the continued, but necessary, reliance on fossil fuels, whilst delivering secure and reliable supplies of electricity."

Ms Thompson said that based on current estimates, once all three plants were operational, Drax would be responsible for supplying at least 15% of the UK's renewable power and up to 10% of total UK electricity.

Source: BBC News