A consultation on the decision, which opened yesterday (6 January), will now run until 3 February.
Known as the East Midlands Energy Re-Generation (EMERGE) Centre, the proposed facility would be capable of processing up to 524,550 tonnes of pre-treated residual waste per year.
A spokesperson for international energy company Uniper “noted the publication” of the proposed decision by the Agency on their permit application.
They said that, as the decision is now subject to public consultation, they would not comment further at this time.
However, the spokesperson told letsrecycle.com that construction works were now expected to start in 2023 and last approximately 36 months, with the facility set to become operational in 2026.
Previously, Uniper said construction could begin as early as 2022, and the facility was expected to become operational by 2025 (see letsrecycle.com story).
EMERGE Centre
Uniper says the EMERGE Centre represents approximately £330 million worth of capital infrastructure investment.
The facility will process wastes including municipal solid waste, wood, MBT residue, refuse derived fuel, and plastic.
The Environment Agency’s decision document says the facility will generate electricity at a rate of 49.9 electrical megawatts (MW) per year, enough to power around 90,000 homes.
The Agency expects that around 6.5 MW will be required to power the plant, with around 43.4 MWe available for export to the national grid.
The facility will be capable of providing around 8.7 thermal megawatts (MWth) of heat should a viable combined heat and power scheme be established, the Agency says.
Nottinghamshire county council has granted planning permission for buildings with a maximum height of 49.5m.
Two slender stacks will extend from the main building up to a height of 110m, which Uniper says is not as tall as the existing cooling towers (114m) and chimney (199m) installed at the operational power station on the site.
Uniper says the EMERGE Centre has the potential to create up to 600 temporary construction jobs and around 45 permanent jobs once it is operational.
Ratcliffe-on-Soar
Uniper is the owner of the 273-hectare Ratcliffe-on-Soar site, currently occupied by the coal-fired power station, which it owns and operates.
The EMERGE Centre will be located on previously developed land within the north-east boundary of the site.
Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station has supplied electricity to the UK energy market for more than 50 years but will close at the end of September 2024 in line with government policy to end coal-fired power generation.
Uniper
With around 12,000 employees in more than 40 countries, Uniper was formed in 2016 after a split from utility company E.ON, and the EMERGE Centre represents their first movement into the UK EfW market.
The firm specialises in consultancy services for UK biomass plants and runs coal and gas power plants.
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