Encyclis seeks permit for 350,000 tonne Corby EfW plant

The facility already has planning permission, and is also “capable” of combined heat and power operation should a heat user be secured, although at the time of this application the facility is expected to generate electricity only.

If it goes ahead, the Corby site will be the sixth facility in the Encyclis portfolio, with sites in Bedfordshire, Cheshire, Dublin, Grangemouth and Leicestershire.

The waste to be accepted at the facility will comprise residual non-hazardous municipal solid waste and similar commercial and industrial wastes, the permit explained.

A spokesperson for Encyclis said: “Our plan is to build and operate an energy recovery facility on the outskirts of Corby. The facility will provide Northamptonshire with vital new capacity for the management and treatment of residual waste, while generating sustainable baseload electricity and recovering all remaining materials for reuse.

“With planning permission already obtained and the permit now in determination, we are getting ready to start construction. In anticipation, we have already started work to prepare for the laydown area. When operational, the Corby site will further expand our fleet of modern energy recovery facilities, contributing to the UK’s circular economy and driving forward our decarbonisation targets in support of net zero.”

Facility

The application explained that waste will be combusted in a moving grate furnace with a nominal design feed rate of 33.2 tonnes per hour with waste having a calorific value of 10.9 MJ/kg. However, the plant is capable of operating at throughputs up to circa 45 tonnes per hour albeit the plant cannot be run at this throughput continuously.

Following treatment, the cleaned flue gases will be discharged from a 75 metre high stack. Emissions from the stack will be monitored in line with the BAT requirements.

Consultation

The Agency opened a consultation on the proposals yesterday (26 September) which will run until 24 October.

If successful the facility could begin construction next year.

Much of the waste the area is currently bulked and exported to energy recovery facilities in Europe.

In 2019, a company called Corby Ltd got the the green light from Northamptonshire county council after the developers opted to steer away from gasification technology (see letsrecycle.com story). This however never came to fruition.