Alex Salmond will today use a debate at Westminster to highlight his case for swift support from the government for a BP and Scottish and Southern Energy plan to build a hydrogen power plant in his constituency, with the carbon dioxide emissions from the Peterhead plant being piped into emptying oil wells.

The "carbon capture" technology is untested, but the oil and energy companies are in a consortium which has spent nearly GBP50m so far in designing an experimental plant using North Sea pipelines.

SNP leader Alex Salmond yesterday called on the government to back plans for a power station which he believes could make Scotland a world leader in clean energy technology.

Plans have been drawn up for the world's first commercial scale carbon capture power station at Peterhead.

However, the government has so far not given its full support for the GBP1bn project.

Mr Salmond claims any further delays would see the scheme lose its place as a world leader.

The party leader was speaking ahead of an SNP Commons debate today which will attempt to force the pace of government decision-making on the technology.

MrSalmond added: "It's time for the government to give the go-ahead to the Peterhead project, and not squander the near two-year world lead that we have in this revolutionary technology."

The station would be fuelled by hydrogen extracted from gas, with the left-over carbon pumped back into North Sea oil reservoirs. BP estimates that it could produce an extra 40 million barrels of oil from theMiller offshore field.

There are currently 150 designers working on the plans, which have so far cost an estimated GBP50m.

But the Banff and Buchan MP, whose constituency includes Peterhead, fears the project could be overtaken by a similar scheme in California.

And he speculated that a decision is being stalled so that Gordon Brown can announce his support if, or when, he becomes PrimeMinister.