A 31-acre former tannery could become Somerset’s first mixed-use development run entirely on renewable biofuel energy.

The South West of England Regional Development Agency is working in partnership with Mendip District Council, businesses and the local community to redevelop Morlands, a former derelict tannery site into a mixed-use sustainable development containing industrial and commercial space as well as social, community, recreational and tourism facilities.

The combined heat and power plant (CHP plant), which would be powered by sustainable energy source such as biofuels or waste would be built to a high quality and would be sympathetically designed to be sensitive to the surrounding area.

As well as producing much less carbon dioxide than conventional power stations, CHP plants are almost twice as efficient converting around 80% of the energy they produce into low cost electricity and heat. The CHP plant proposed for former tannery would burn renewable fuels to produce steam which would drive a turbine to make electricity. The surplus heat would then be used for a wide range of purposes such as heating on-site buildings.

There are now approximately 1500 CHP plants in the UK providing power to places as diverse as Buckingham Palace, the National Gallery and Harrods.

Gordon Woodend, South West RDA head of operations for Somerset, said: “We want to make Morlands one of the region’s finest environmentally friendly business parks and ensuring the site is powered by sustainable energy is the first step.”

The RDA which own the 31 acre former tannery site in Glastonbury, is advertising for a developer to build, own and run an exemplary combined heat and power and recycling plant which would supply energy at a discounted rate to future businesses locating there.

Commenting on the proposed CHP plant Gordon Woodend said, “The fact that Morlands is run on renewable energy will help add to Somerset’s growing reputation as an environmentally friendly county following the Government’s recent announcement that Somerset is to get £5 million to help build two green power plants in Frome and Castle Cary.”

Rupert Cox from the Federation of Small Businesses and PAB member, said, “Sustainable energy is no longer a pipe-dream. The FSB is delighted that real progress is being made to deliver the aspiration of a CHP plant on the Morlands site. Young entrepreneurs are very aware of their environment, which will make this site very attractive to the next generation of business owners who will be the future of small business in the Mendips.”

In 1999, CHP plants generated nearly 6% of the total electricity generated in the UK. The current Government’s target is to have at least 10 GWe of CHP in place by the year 2010.

Reaching the Government’s current target of 10 GWe of CHP would reduce carbon emissions by a further six million tonnes - more than a quarter of the current shortfall required to achieve the UK’s domestic target of a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2010. This would also stimulate some £3 billion of largely private investment in the UK economy.