Dundee City Council has been given more time to decide its response to the controversial biomass proposal.
Councillors were due to discuss the results of Forth Energy’s air quality tests for the contentious project at the policy and resources committee on June 10.
The details of the tests and the significance of related information represents a considerable volume of data that is taking longer to assess than was first thought.
The council had previously been granted an extension to the Scottish Government’s May 10 consultation process deadline to decide its response.
The matter had been pencilled on to the agenda for the P&R committee on June 10, but now it has been moved to the P&R committee on June 24.
The Scottish Government confirmed that more time has been given, with a spokeswoman saying: “Dundee City Council has asked for an extension to discuss this issue on June 24 and they have to come back to us by June 26.”
Forth Energy believes the results of the air quality tests support its case to build the £325 million project at the city’s harbour.
The plant would take wood fuel shipped in from North America and subject it to a complicated combustion process to produce electricity and heat.
The tests indicated that the small amount of nitrogen dioxide emitted from the plant’s 90 metre stack would be negligible in relation to the volume produced by passing traffic, and Forth Energy believe there is no air quality impact to prevent consent from being granted for the renewable energy power station. Critics disagree and are sceptical about the plant’s environmental and economic credentials.
Forth Energy say the plant would provide up to 500 jobs during construction and 70 a year thereafter.
The air quality tests resulted from the council’s call in January 2011 for Scottish ministers to defer the biomass application until more information was available about its impact on public health and the environment.
That decision followed a report by director of city development, Mike Galloway, which said there were unresolved issues with the plant.
But with controls in place “it would not result in an unacceptable level of impact”. He did not make a firm for-or-against recommendation, but put three options to councillors.
These were that they support the proposal subject to conditions, they ask Scottish ministers to defer consideration until an air quality survey shows the plant will have no adverse effect on public health, or they object to the application.
Mr Galloway’s report to councillors following the air quality tests is unlikely to be ready until a few days before the June 24 meeting.