The proposals, which were unveiled today (September 29), would involve the Birmingham-based company building a facility with the capacity to burn up to 400,000 tonnes-a-year of waste to produce up to 34 megawatts of electricity.
Waste for the facility would be primarily sourced from the commercial and industrial sectors, but with the potential to deal with household waste if required.
Biffa's current permission to landfill waste at the Westmill site, which is located in Ware, in the east of the county, is scheduled to stop in 2017 and the company said it does not have any plans to apply to extend that consent.
Instead, under today's proposals, it would build the EfW facility on land that has already been excavated and consented for future landfill, which, the company claims, will allow the building to be partially located below ground level, with the aim of reducing its visual impact.
Energy generation
The plans are the latest proof of the Biffa's increased focus on energy generation as a preferred waste disposal option, and they come just a month after the the company unveiled plans to build its first ever energy-from-waste plant, at a site in Leicestershire (see letsrecycle.com story).
Commenting on the Westmill proposals, Simon Allin, development director at Biffa, said: “Around 350,000 tonnes per annum of this type of waste now comes to our Westmill landfill. If we are successful with our energy recovery facility which could become operational by 2014 – this will mean much less waste going to landfill and, instead of being buried, being used to produce electricity.”
“Our proposal is not directed at the Hertfordshire domestic refuse contract for which other organisations are currently tendering. Our plans are to deal with the non-hazardous waste produced by the thousands of businesses, shops and organisations in the area,” he added.
Plans
Biffa is hopeful of having a planning application submitted to Hertfordshire county council by November this year, with the aim of having the facility up-and-running in 2014.
The company is currently holding a number of exhibitions about its proposals for local organisations and residents and has also distributed over 6,000 brochures to homes in the vicinity explaining its intentions for the site.
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