SCOTTISH POWER PROPAGANDA BACKFIRES

Desperate to persuade a sceptical public that Gas Plant II is not the environmental desecration that it actually is, Scottish Power have launched another clumsy stunt that has comprehensively miss-fired. Terrified of running proper public meetings where RAP would hit them with uncomfortable truths, Scottish Power are deluging members of the public with "Community Information Leaflets" - glossy exercises in spin and PR - sent to peoples' homes with a covering letter beginning with the weasel words "Cheshire County Councillors have suggested we write to you", to give a spurious "official credibility" to this exercise in propaganda. Said RAP Chairman John Halstead: "Once again Scottish Power have shot themselves in the foot. My phone's been red hot with furious people phoning to ask what's going on, and expressing their fury at such ludicrously biased nonsense being sent into their homes." Added Dr John Edwards, RAP's Press Spokesman: "Apart from anything else, the information leaflet is full of misrepresentation, as there's no national need at all for Gas Plant II, it would be big, noisy, ugly and polluting, and above all there's a frightening safety question Scottish Power are refusing to discuss." The safety problem is WHERE'S THE SALT? Over two weeks since RAP broke the story, Scottish Power are still refusing to discuss why there would be less than 10 metres of protective salt strata beneath their underground gas cavities, when UK experts British Gas Storage, insist on 100 metres of solid salt strata. The silence is deafening and becoming a scandal. This is serious.

GEORGE OSBORNE BACKS RAP And we're still asking WHERE'S THE SALT

GEORGE OSBORNE BACKS RAP And we're still asking WHERE'S THE SALT

RAP are delighted to announce that their campaign to stop Gas Plant II - Scottish Power's get-rich-quick scheme, despoiling rural Cheshire - has the full backing of Tatton MP George Osborne, one of Parliament's youngest members, and a rising star, whose vigorous and well-briefed performance in debates has made ministers tremble. George Osborne will speak at RAP's first public meeting at 6.30 pm, March 15th, Goostrey Village Hall. RAP are also organising a separate meeting the following night at 6.00 pm, March 16th at Cranage Village Hall Said RAP Chairman John Halstead:

We welcome George Osborne to the growing band of people who have taken a careful, considered look at Scottish Power's proposals and found them deeply flawed. A man like George does not lightly give his support to any old cause, and his support is a key piece of evidence that Scottish Power are just plain wrong in what they are trying to do. Added Press Spokesman John Edwards: Scottish Power's response to our Where's the Salt' campaign, highlighting that there's not enough salt for safety around and under their planned gas cavities - is laughable. They just say all's well' and don't answer the key question: why are they planning only a few metres of salt under their cavities, when UK expert British Gas Storage, say there should be at least 100 metres? This is frightening and people should be worried.

SCOTTISH POWER: WHERE'S THE SALT?

RAP LAUCH a WEBSITE - AND DROP A NUKE ON SCOTTISH POWER: WHERE'S THE SALT?

In a meeting of journalists, photographers and invited guests at Woodside Golf Club, RAP formally launched this website and highlighted a fundamental failure in Scottish Power's plans for the gas plant: under the heading "WHERE'S THE SALT?" RAP's experts pointed out that safety standards, established by British Gas Storage (now Dynergy), are not being adhered to by Scottish Power.

Data indicate that there is an insufficient depth of salt at the planned site, to store the gas safely. To meet the desirable safety standards, would require cavities much nearer the surface, which at this shallower depth, would call into question the economic viability of the project.

Indeed, British Gas Storage are on record as having stated that the shallow salt deposits in Cheshire are unsuitable for large volume gas storage and that the only sites in the UK are in NE England, where the salt is 3 times the depth of that in Cheshire. Since British Gas Storage's views are public knowledge, to ignore them represents a potentially catastrophic oversight by Scottish Power, for whom this represents their first foray into salt cavity gas storage. Said a RAP spokesman: "Remember, it's not RAP who have set the safety parameters, it's British Gas Storage, so let Scottish Power argue with them as to why they have chosen not to adopt them!" Meanwhile this looks so serious that it calls into question Scottish Power's technical expertise.

Are these really the people to be entrusted with such a high risk project, where safety considerations should be absolute?