Construction of a £70 million biomass plant in Greater Manchester has been delayed in order to improve its sustainability.

The Barton Renewable Energy Plant, being constructed by Peel Energy will have a capacity of 20MW of electricity and generate power equivalent to the annual electricity of roughly 37,000 homes. It would also have the capacity to process 200,000 tonnes of waste wood per year.

But according to reports, the project has been delayed while it considers a local district heating scheme for local developments and businesses in the surrounding area.

Jon England, Peel Energy project manager, said: “Heat studies are underway to investigate whether BREP can operate more efficiently. The work is expected to take some months to complete although there are no fixed timetables.”