Background to Tilbury B:

On 13^th August, Tilbury B, so far the world’s biggest biomass power station commissioned so far, was shut down for good.  It is sited along the Thames east of London and was opened as a coal power station in 1968 and later acquired by RWE Npower.   It was one of several UK coal power stations which did not meet the EU’s 2001 Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD) because of its very high sulphur dioxide

Historically, UK coal and oil-fired power stations have been amongst the most polluting in Europe and few of them are fitted with the expensive technology to reduce sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.   The UK emits more SO2 than any other country in western Europe.  Under the EU’s LCPD directive, companies were given the option to either retrofit their coal power stations with SO2 scrubbers, to purchase enough…