A planning application has been submitted to build one of UK's first green energy generating plants Dorset. Eco Composting (Eco) want to build the £7 million biomass generating station on its wxisting composting and wood recycling site at Parley on the outskirts of Bournemouth.

The 25,000 tonne capacity facililty would be capable of generting 2.7MW of elelctricity a year. The electricity would be sent to the national grid at nearby Redhill and be enough to power about 5,000 local homes.

Eco's biomass arrives at the parley site to be chipped. The company also plans to grow willow to augment the fuel supply. Trelawney Dampney Ecos managing director, said that since the company's plans first went out for local consiltation last year the reaction had been "overwhelmingly postive".

He added:"Groups such as Friends of the Earth back biomass plants because they are green-friendly and 'clean power' . "Currently there is only one other biomass plant operating in the UK although a number are in the pipline and they have beenoperating in Europe for five years."They make environmental, and economic, sense."

The planning application has been lodged with Dorset County Council with regulatory consents expected to take up a year.