Plans have been unveiled to build a £2 billion coal and biomass-fired power station in Scotland - the first new conventional energy plant in the country for almost 30 years.

Developers Peel Energy and Dong Energy said the facility would be built next to the Ayrshire nuclear power station Hunterston B, which is due to shut down in 2011.

The new plant will have the capacity to generate power for two million homes in Scotland and will create numerous jobs in the Ayrshire region.

Most of the energy will be generated using coal, although the developers say that up to 15% of the station's power could come from biomass.

They also claim that the plant will be ready to use carbon-capture technology, allowing up to 90% of its carbon emissions to be stored safely.

Meanwhile, a tidal energy firm has announced plans for a renewable energy project in the Pentland Firth that could produce up to 300 megawatts of electricity by 2020.