Attwood backs proposed 60m Energos EfW facility

Planning permission for the 80,000 tonnes-per-year capacity plant was awarded on Tuesday (July 9).

While construction will not begin until mid-2014 at the earliest, Mr Atwood welcomed the development as an advantage the local economy and a key step in Northern Irelands drive towards environmental sustainability.

He said: “This facility will provide a boost for the Lisburn area, creating construction jobs in the short term and permanent skilled jobs once completed.

I am a firm supporter of energy from waste opportunities and of alternative, more environmentally sustainable energy plans. This facility will deal with our waste, prevent landfill and create renewable energy.”

Energos managing director Nick Dawber explained the company was now in a position to seek funding for the project, which he expected to be less complex than on the mainland given the limited final waste treatment infrastructure in Northern Ireland.

Discussions

He said: Contract discussions have been on hold until we had certainty. Now that we have consent we will now start working with local waste companies to identify feedstocks. These will be sourced from a commercial and industrial and/or municipal solid waste streams, or a mixture of these.

He added: This is an environmentally responsible, community sized solution for local waste that would otherwise fill up landfill sites and emit damaging greenhouse gases.

Our technology has the flexibility to accept a variety of wastes to provide an adaptable resource that can cater for changing community requirements over the years. We look forward to working with partners to bring this project to fruition.”

The technology uses non-recycable, non-hazardous mixed waste to generate 7MW of electricity, enough to power 17,000 households while also providing steam and hot water for homes and local businesses.

An estimated 60% of the electricity produced by the gasification process will be generated from biomass, allowing Energos to qualify for double Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) from the UK government.

Gasification

In 2010, Energos became the first company to be awarded double ROC payments for its gasification facility on the Isle of Wight.

Construction of the plant will mark Energos third UK-based project, with work currently underway on a gasification facility at Glasgow City Council’s Recycling and Renewable Energy Centre.

The renewable waste specialist, which, over the past 15 years has built and operated eight small gasification facilities with numerous partners across Europe. It is also the appointed technology provider for AmeyCespas proposed Milton Keynes Waste Recovery Park.

Energos planning manager Nick Baston added: “As a ‘nationally significant’ project, the Lisburn facility was subject to determination by the Department of the Environment. The planning service has undertaken a thorough review and we are delighted to have been awarded consent for this strategic site.”