COLLEGE chiefs are facing questions over how they will supply a green energy plant planned for a Hampshire village.

Fears have been raised that thousands of lorries will have to navigate narrow roads to supply an anaerobic digester at Sparsholt College, near Winchester.

The facility, turning grass and maze into biogas, is set to provide enough clean energy to power thousands of homes.

Douglas Paterson, a farmer and chairman of Keep Hampshire Green, estimated the plant would consume 60-90,000 tonnes of grass silage per year, requiring up to 9,000 trucks to deliver.

"You just need to imagine what that's going to be like for the community that lives around there," he said. "At least 75 per cent of that will be coming out again, one way or another.

"You don't get 90,000 tonnes of silage from a small catchment area. They're going to be travelling miles and miles with that. Where's it coming from, what are their routes of entry?"

The plant, branded the Green Gas Mill, will produce energy for the college and the national grid. Sparsholt College, which announced more details of the plant last week, said grass will be grown locally.

Questioning claims that digestion benefits soil, Mr Paterson added: "It's not an environmentally friendly route to energy production.

"It's the wrong feed stock, the wrong location, the wrong size."

County councillor Jackie Porter defended the scheme.

The Lib Dem, who contested the Winchester and Chandler's Ford constituency in the General Election, said: "Sparsholt's efforts to lead the way in green energy technology should be applauded – and encouraged. "Dale Vince's Ecotricity [the plant's developer] is a company dedicated to a greener future for our young people- and we owe it to them to 'take a risk ' now and again.

"But this isn't a risk. Green gas is just one of the ways we can provide continuous energy supply."

Hampshire Chronicle:

Cllr Jackie Porter

The college is holding a series of information sessions in the coming weeks.

Sparsholt Parish Council is advertising the consultation and gathering opinion before addressing the plans. Councillors have previously raised concerns over traffic and the college's communication with residents over plans to install a wind turbine.

Sue Wood, chairman, said: "They were highly criticised for the wind turbine, because they didn't have any communication with us at all. This time the communication is critical, but [Tim Jackson, principal] is talking to us."