Portland has become a ‘major battleground’ in the fight against biofuel power plants, campaigners are claiming.

They made the claim ahead of a day of action this weekend to show the strength of feeling against the controversial ‘green’ power station at Balaclava Bay which was backed by borough planners earlier this year.

The day will include a march from the Chesil Beach car park to the gates of Portland Port. As well as local people joining in, it is expected to attract representatives from the Campaign Against Climate Change, Biofuelwatch, Food Not Fuel and a host of other groups and individuals.

Organisers, No Oil Palm Energy (Nope) say this shows that the fight has turned into a national one.

If the plant at Portland does go ahead, it will ‘open the floodgates’ for similar facilities across the country, Nope claims.

Nope member Andrew Butler said: “We’ve already had tremendous local support for the campaign over the past six months and we are delighted that national groups are coming to support us.

“The issue of biofuels is one that should concern everyone because if the plans on Portland go ahead it will open the floodgates for these facilities which would be disastrous for the communities affected at home and abroad.”

He added: “We are determined not to let this happen – we will draw a line in the sand at Portland, we will stop them here and they will go no further.”

Robert Palgrave from Biofuelwatch said burning biofuels was a ‘cheap and dirty’ way for the UK to achieve renewable energy targets.

And Phil Thornhill from the Campaign Against Climate Change said: “It is tempting simply to redirect our huge demand for energy from fossil fuels to biofuels – but biofuels cannot be produced at quantity without vast areas of land. And it is pressure on land that is having devastating human and environmental consequences.”

This is the third march to be held in the area against the plant.

News of the third march comes as a judicial review, requested by Nope, was refused by the High Court of Justice to look into the decision made by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council to allow planning consent.

Nope was originally set up in response to fears about palm oil being imported into Portland Port to fuel the plant but W4B Renewable Energy Limited, the company behind the power plant, has since pledged it will not be using the food-grade oil.

But protesters say they are still concerned about the negative impact the plant will have on the area.

Construction of the plant will begin early next year.

Bosses say the plant will provide jobs and benefit the economy, as well as helping the UK meet renewable energy targets.

They have denied the operation would be a risk to human health and have pointed out that neither the Environment Agency or Natural England object to the plant.

* THE national demonstration against agrofuels (industrial biofuel) is on Saturday.

Marchers are asked to meet from 12.30pm at the Chesil Beach car park off Portland Beach Road and will set off at 1pm for Portland Port.

A rally will be held at the port gates at 2pm with a number of speeches.

The group will move up to St George’s hall at Easton where from 3pm there will be workshops, food and entertainment. Workshops include ‘Why biofuels are not the answer’ presented by Deepak Rughani from Biofuelwatch and Kenneth Richter from Friends of the Earth.

Bands include Hallelujah Bay and members of Seize the Day.

For more information about the day of action visit www.nope.org.uk