BOURNEMOUTH Council is considering building ‘green’ power plants to supply the BIC and Littledown Centre with cheap electricity.

Officers are investigating the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems, and also plan to sell excess energy to nearby businesses. They burn fuels to create electricity but also capture the exhaust gasses to provide heating, making them more efficient than power stations.

The Echo spoke about the plans with delegates at a green conference held at Bournemouth University.

Gary Shackell, sales director for local government at Mouchel, said there were two designs for a town centre power station and there is potential for one at the Littledown Centre. They could also provide energy to nearby homes, he said.

Cllr Rob Lawton, cabinet member for the environment, said the council was also looking at combining them with solar and geothermal energy.

Southampton has a very large combined CHP and geothermal power plant that supplies energy to its port and West Quay stores like John Lewis and Marks and Spencer.

Ray Morgan, the chief executive of Woking Council, was a delegate at the green conference.

He told the Echo: “We have indicated our willingness to work with Mouchel and Bournemouth to explore, if Bournemouth wish, how we could help them set up an energy services company to provide combined heat and power.”

He added: “I don’t know exactly what Bournemouth’s ambitions are. They might want biofuels or other renewable technologies.”

Woking has 13 combined heat and power schemes that supply council offices, 1,200 council homes and also private businesses. The authority’s carbon emissions fell by a fifth between 1990 and 2006. Mr Morgan estimated the Bournemouth’s plants would be around four megawatts in size and would repay their initial costs over decades. Woking funded its plants through an Arms Length Management Company.

Bournemouth Council’s Go Green strategy has more information on its intentions.

The strategy reads: “If the scheme goes ahead it will ensure cost savings for both public and private buildings. They could also be powered by bio-fuels from local waste.”

Previous council research has listed potential sites as the town centre, Castle Lane East, and The Lansdowne.