Portchester Crematorium to replace its cremators with new natural gas-fuelled equipment

Despite the aims of the local authorities that own the facility to reduce their carbon emissions, a feasibility study into the £3.5m project favours the more polluting option.

'[Electric cremators are] larger than the existing and the available space can only accommodate three electrical cremators,' a report by Fareham Borough Council property manager Ian Cousins says. 'Due to the proximity of nearby properties, three is the maximum number of this type of cremators that we can provide.

'The cremation process also takes longer and with the lower number of cremators we will not be able to accommodate the existing numbers within the normal working day.'

It says crematorium staff could work longer hours to compensate for this but that this would not leave time for maintenance.

And the report warns long-term costs of the equipment are 'unclear' and that there is also uncertainty over whether there is a large enough power supply to run electric equipment.

Electric cremators produce half the carbon emissions of natural gas machines which would help its controlling authorities - Portsmouth City Council, Gosport Borough Council, Havant Borough Council and Fareham Borough Council - meet their environmental targets.

Other technologies were also considered with hydrogen ruled out due to difficulties in distribution and microwave cremation being dismissed due to the lack of approved equipment and biogas discounted for cost reasons.

The process of resomation, through which bodies are disposed of through the use of heat and lye, and composting were also considered.

Promession, through which bodies are freeze dried and then atomised, was explored as an option in the past but was formally discounted in 2008.

The report will be considered by the crematorium's controlling joint committee of councillors who will be asked to back its recommendations on Monday (September 26).

'By the nature of the age of the cremators we do not have a do-nothing option,' it says. 'If we are to continue to deliver this critical service, we need to update our equipment.

'All the constituent authorities have set objectives to reduce carbon emissions over the coming years but the cremation process by its very nature generates carbon.

'We can reduce our emissions but with current technology we cannot achieve a zero-carbon cremation.'

It said this proposal would allow the crematorium to continue operating 3,000 services a year and that it would allow it to continue 'reliable delivery'.