A NORTH Yorkshire power station has submitted plans to create a new jetty on its property.

Drax Power Station, near Selby, already has a jetty which leads onto the power station site from the River Ouse, but an application has been submitted to Selby District Council this month to create a new, bigger and stronger facility.

The proposed new jetty will be able to support deliveries of up to 500 tonnes, compared with the current one, which can support up to 200 tonnes, and would be used to increase the amount of biomass fuel delivered to the power station's White Rose Carbon Capture and Storage project.

A report submitted with the plans said if permission was granted, it would reduce delivery traffic, particularly use of larger vehicles, to the power plant by road.

It said: "The ability of the jetty to receive such large loads would provide an alternative to the transport of these by road. Furthermore, by combining a number of Abnormal Indivisible Loads (‘AILs’) into a single large load, there would be scope to achieve a greater throughput of AILs via the jetty.

"These factors combined would have the benefit of minimising impacts on the local highway network from large load/AIL movements, facilitate utilisation of a sustainable mode of transportation and promote greater use of the River Ouse for the transport of freight."

The plans also show a 60m-long crane arm, or boom, at the site, which will be used for removing deliveries from river transport. Local residents in Long Drax have asked for confirmation of whether this would mean trees at the site would need to be removed or otherwise affected by the development.

Long Drax Parish Council said they felt "unable to comment confidently" on whether they supported the plan or not, but accepted the work was necessary "to ensure Drax Power remains successful".

In a statement, they said: "As a Parish Council we feel that all steps should be taken to ensure that the residents who will be most affected will be offered every opportunity to minimise disruption to their lives, to reduce noise levels and to offer protection to their homes. Night time disturbances will be particularly disruptive due to the quiet nature of the village and the remote location of these homes."

A decision on the plans is due next month.