THE first deliveries of short rotation coppice to fuel the wood burning power station on Teesside are under way.

The Wilton 10 biomass power station, built and operated by SembCorp Utilities UK, is expected to come on line in summer 2007.

It will consume 55,000 tonnes of short rotation coppice wood chips a year as well as about 24,000 tonnes of forestry logs, sawmill chips and recycled timber.

Deliveries of the first 1,000 tonnes of willow wood chip have started through Greenergy Bioenergy Ltd, a subsidiary of UK fuels business Greenergy.

The company is working with Coppice Resources to offer growing contracts to farmers within a 50-mile radius of the plant. The first supplies have come from Manco Energy, and were grown at the Seborwens Farm, Penrith. A further 800 tonnes from Renewable Energy Growers will be delivered later this month.

Farmers interested in supplying willow coppice can contact (0207) 4047700.