The company behind a proposed £200 million Energy from Waste (EfW) facility in Wiltshire has submitted a renewed planning application to the council, reflecting its move away from gasification technology.
Northacre Renewable Energy has to re-submit for planning permission after moving from gasification to a ‘conventional combustion process’
Northacre Renewable Energy Limited – a joint venture between the Bioenergy Infrastructure Group (BIG) and The Hills Group – announced in June that it would move from gasification to “a conventional moving grate combustion process” (see letsrecycle.com story).
The company says while gasification is “a very effective technology”, the supply chains for it were hit by uncertainties created by Brexit and that the supply lines for moving grate combustion are “more established”.
After having a previous application turned down by the unitary authority of Wiltshire council (see letsrecycle.com story), Northacre Renewable Energy was granted permission for an EfW plant last year using gasification-backed technology.
Plant
While the facility on the Northacre Industrial Estate near the town of Westbury is comparable to the original scheme, the technology related changes mean that fresh planning approval is required.
The company aims to submit its application to the Environment Agency for an environmental permit to operate the facility, “shortly after the validation of the planning application”.
Capacity
The facility will have the capacity to process 243,000 tonnes of commercial and household waste each year, “much of which will be collected locally”. Northacre says this waste will otherwise be buried in landfill sites or “needlessly exported to Europe as fuel for similar energy from waste facilities”.
The facility is expected to have a generating capacity of 25.6MW and produce around 201,000MWh/year, enough to meet the average annual domestic power requirements of just over 54,000 homes.
“Analysis by leading independent experts identifies around 61% of the approximately 750,000 tonnes per annum of residual waste from businesses within the catchment area of the facility is currently being landfilled,” the company said.
Investment
An NREL spokesperson added: “At a time of significant economic uncertainty, the Northacre facility represents a £200m investment in Wiltshire’s economy with enough low-carbon electricity generated to power 54,000 homes.
“The proposed technology … will enable us to provide a responsible solution for residual waste from households and businesses”
“The proposed technology with established supply chains and improved deliverability will enable us to provide a responsible solution for this residual waste [from households and businesses] whilst generating much needed low carbon electricity. We take our local responsibilities extremely seriously and will continue our high level of engagement with all our stakeholders, including local communities, to ensure any concerns are addressed appropriately.”
Electric vehicles
Northacre says the new scheme also includes provision for electric vehicle charging stations to support the transition to electric vehicles in Westbury for staff, suppliers and visitors.
Once operational, the company says the facility will support 40 permanent, skilled jobs. During the construction phase, at peak activity, there will be around 450 construction workers employed.
The post Plans in for Wiltshire EfW’s move from gasification appeared first on letsrecycle.com.
Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
