PLANS are proposed to build a geothermal power plant near Newquay.

Geothermal Engineering Ltd (GEL) has submitted an environmental impact assessment screening request ahead of a planning application for a proposed geothermal development featuring a drill rig, two wells and a lagoon on an arable field at Penhallow.

Wardell Armstrong, on behalf of Geothermal Engineering Ltd said: “The geothermal project will have three phases.

“A drilling phase and a testing phase, subject to the outline planning application, and then the power generation phase, which will be subject to a future reserved matters application.

“The drilling will take place on site and will have a duration of approximately one year including mobilisation and removal.

“The drill rig will be no more than 55 metres tall and will be in operation 24/7 for up to nine months.

“Two wells are to be drilled, with the deepest one at approximately 4.5km. The testing phase will involve a smaller drill rig that will be used to check and test the wells and then pumps will be used to test the circulation and water temperatures. The site will also incorporate a lagoon that will be used to store water. The wells are naturally dry and do not produce water, it is injected and circulated through the power plant before being reinjected again.

“The power plant subject to reserved matters will be relatively modest in scale, covering less than half the site area, with the most visible elements at surface being a bank of cooling fans and the lagoon which will be retained throughout the operational life of the power plant. The site will also house a site office, an electricity sub-station to enable a grid connection and a number of containers to store spare parts and materials.”

Wardell Armstrong states given the scale and nature of the proposals, it is considered that the environmental effects would not be significant in EIA terms.

The planning statement said: “The proposed development does not constitute EIA development.

“In addition, any effects could be easily mitigated and ameliorated through the use of standard measures and techniques.

“As the proposal is the development of arable land, there is no loss of biodiverse habitat and the net biodiversity of the site will be enhanced. Long term visual impacts will be limited to the immediate surroundings of the site however mitigation measures will be incorporated into the design including the retention of boundary trees where possible, the implementation of a detailed landscaping scheme and boundary screening.

“Some noise may be associated with the drilling, testing and operational phases of the geothermal development.

“The major source of noise would be during the drilling phase. This would be temporary in duration as the drilling phase is expected to take approximately one year to complete.”

Geothermal Engineering Limited is behind the United Downs Geothermal Project, which is due to become fully operational in spring this year.