RENEWABLE energy could provide an unlikely and timely boost to Southampton’s recession-hit docks.

Port bosses told the Daily Echo they’d received a number of enquiries from rival green energy firms about importing biomass products, such as wood chip or palm oil, through the city. Port director Doug Morrison said a “handful” of companies were also interested in building a biomass plant on vacant land off Western Avenue, in the Western Docks.

The site was previously the location of a proposed £55m combined heat and power (CHP) plant scrapped by the city council in August.

The CHP plant, which cost taxpayers £1.99m over eight years, would have burned palm oil shipped in from Malaysia to provide electricity and supply cheaper heat to homes in Millbrook.

But the project was dogged by delays, setbacks and opposition since it was conceived in 1999.

Associated British Ports have since met with German energy giant Evonik Industries to discuss its plans to build a £90m wood-fired power plant.

The environmentally-friendly 20 megawatt plant would be fuelled by thousands of tonnes of scrap wood from across Hampshire.

Mr Morrison said any new power station must generate more business in the docks, pictured.

“Renewable power stations are very much in vogue at the moment and that covers everything from palm oil to woodchip,” he said.

“We are currently evaluating all the different options, but we certainly haven’t selected a preferred bidder.

“One of the problems with Evonik’s proposal is that they are not talking about major tonnage over the quay wall.

“I’m not overly excited about just building a plant at the docks unless there is a sizeable number of ships coming in and out.

“Our view is that the more guaranteed volume we have related to ship movements the better.”

Biomass is becoming increasingly popular as a sustainable energy technology, with schemes last year announced for other port cities across the UK including Bristol, Newport, Port Talbot and Hull.

If given the go-ahead in Southampton, a plant would potentially create dozens of jobs and help reduce the city’s carbon footprint.

Councillor Matt Dean, Cabinet member for environment, said the city council would do everything in its power to encourage further decentralised power in the city.