Britain's Business Secretary John Hutton has approved a renewable energy project that includes the biggest biomass plant in the world. The 350-megawatt wood chip-fueled electric generating plant will be sited in the industrial town of Port Talbot on the South Wales coast. It will cost 400 million pounds ($830 million) to construct, and will meet the electricity needs for 1.5 million people. "It joins eight major renewables projects already given the green light in the past 12 months alone and is another important step towards the low carbon economy envisaged by the Prime Minister (Gordon Brown)." The plant is expected to contribute about 70 percent of the Welsh Assembly's 2010 renewable energy target, and have a 25-year lifetime. It will create around 150 new jobs. The wood chip fuel, to be burnt around the clock, is expected to come from sustainable sources in the United States and Canada. The station will burn around three million tonnes per year. When compared to other renewable technologies (solar, wind, and photovoltaic) that can often only operate 25% to 30% of the year, this biomass plant offers a robust continuous baseload for more than 90% of the year. As such, the forecasting of energy generated by the renewable energy plant is more reliable. Because of this, the UK's national grid can better balance electricity supply with demand and maintain the integrity of the national electricity transmission system. | 
