Sembcorp’s Biomass Power Station is designed around a new purpose built biomass-burning boiler. Fuels are not restricted as at some coal co-firing projects, where they have to work with existing fuel handling and boiler facilities. The design for the station was dependent on establishing the specification of the biomass fuel supply. The selection was based on achieving the best combination of the following factors:

• Availability
• Security of supply
• Cost
• Legislation
• Grant conditions
• Compatibility in fuel handling

The total requirement for the biomass power station is 150,000 bone-dry tonnes of wood fuel - the equivalent being approximately 300,000 wet tonnes. Four fuels have been selected. All have been derived from totally sustainable wood sources and all are being supplied from within UK. Sembcorp has signed contracts with companies that can deliver long term wood supplies from the surrounding region, avoiding the cost and emissions penalty associated with long distance road haulage. The four chosen fuels are:

Small Roundwood - from commercially managed forests in the north east. Supplied in log form and chipped on site. Total requirement is 80,000 tonnes of mixed hardwood and softwood species. Log diameter is 6-40cms. Log lengths either 2m or 3m.

Recycled Wood - supplied as chips from the UK Wood Recycling Limited facility at Wilton. A proportion of sheet materials and some demolition timber may be included. Some pre-processed chips may also be accepted. Total requirement is 80,000 tonnes. Chip size is <5 - 50mm.

Sawmill Co-Products - including offcuts, supplied as chips. Total requirement is 80,000 tonnes. Chip size is 5 - 50mm.

Short Rotation Willow Coppice - supplied as woodchips. Total requirement is approximately 55,000 tonnes per annum by 2011. Chip size is 5 - 50mm. As this resource is still in the process of being grown, alternative fuels will be used until willow is ready.

By blending these fuel types prior to burning them within Sembcorp’s Biomass Power Station, it is able to meet all the regulatory and grant conditions with no requirement to artificially dry any fuel. These contracts are also structured so as not to directly involve Sembcorp with supply chain management issues.