Autoclave firm says councils “damaging confidence in PFI”

ReEnergy, the parent company of technology firm Estech Europe, was commenting on the county councils' decision to abandon talks over a 344,000 tonne-per-annum waste supply contract for the two proposed treatment plants (see letsrecycle.com story).

” To be dismissed like this on a whim gives nobody any confidence in this marketplace “
– Roger Hewitt, ReEnergy
Herefordshire and Worcestershire have refused to explain why they have turned their backs on the project, but ReEnergy's executive chairman, Roger Hewitt, said today he was “determined” to find out for the sake of his shareholders.

He said: “This is a PFI market where companies are looking to spend a lot of money. To be dismissed like this on a whim gives nobody any confidence in this marketplace.”

Mr Hewitt stressed his belief against the theory that a lack of confidence in the autoclave technology itself played a major part in the councils' position – despite the relatively untested nature of autoclave plants in the UK.

“Estech Europe very progressively built a 5,000 tonne unit that operates almost on a daily basis as a demonstration plant,” he said. “As far as the technology is concerned I don't think there are any issues there.”

The two plants proposed for Hartlebury in Worcestershire and at Madley in Herefordshire have now secured planning permission, but Mr Hewitt said the company would wait until it understood the circumstances of the councils' decision before taking a view on the plants' future.

However, he said: “The company has plans for other projects in the pipeline which we will now focus more of our energies on.”

MBT
He said autoclaving was “similar” in technology terms to mechanical biological treatment plants, which are beginning to gain a foothold in UK waste management.

Mr Hewitt conceded that “perhaps it isn't understood well enough as a mechanical and biological process”, and that the efficiency of the process was not well known. The ReEnergy executive chairman said his company had found “exciting” markets for the fibrous residue from the process, which represents about 40% of the input volume.

Although he would not disclose the exact nature of the market for this autoclave residue, he said it involved a further process that would use the fibre “as a material commodity” rather than merely burning it to recover energy.

He added that he was “not sure” Herefordshire and Worcestershire councils had understood this market for the residue fibre.