Green light for 25m food-fuelled biomass plant

The move comes as the firm also revealed it was extending its food waste collection service to the retail and catering sector.

The plant is set to work as a fluidised bed combustion facility and will complement the similar facility that is already on the site.

Since 2000 the site has had a combustion facility which produces energy by burning meat and food waste. It currently has a capacity of 22,000 tonnes a month and the new build will increase total capacity by 150,000 tonnes a year.

Philip Simpson, commercial director at PDM Group, commented: “As a country we have reached tipping point – energy, fuel and food prices are continuing to escalate and our existing energy-generation infrastructure is reaching the end of its life.

“Therefore, it's imperative that we look for alternative sources of energy to power us into the future and using food waste is an ideal alternative as it solves two problems, by also reducing waste going to landfill,” he added

Mr Simpson described the planned facility as a “visionary development” for the company and said that it would help to support PDM Group's expanding food and waste collection and recycling service.

The biomass-to-energy plant is due to be commissioned in 2010, after a 12 to 18 month construction programme, which will include extension work to an existing building at the Widnes site and installation of the new plant.

Collections

The announcement comes at a time when PDM Group is expanding its food waste and collection service to retail and catering industries. The company will now collect waste packaged and naked foods from catering and hospitality companies, food manufacturers and retails outlets.

To help provide this service, it has invested in “state-of-the-art” de-packaging equipment that can separate naked and packaged food in the first instance and then remove food from its packaging.

The food waste is then recycled into bio-fuels which the company then uses to generate electricity in its renewable energy plants.

Mr Simpson explained: “Our system combats one of the major barriers to food recycling – packaging – it's a common perception that it can't be done. However, it is possible and this is why our nationwide food collection service has so much to offer anyone who is involved in the sourcing, handling and selling of food.

“Whatever stage of the supply chain, we can take away both food and drink waste and turn it into something that is fundamental to everyone's daily lives – electricity.”

“With businesses also under increasing pressure from customers and Government – for example Boris Johnson's desire for businesses to be responsible for generating their own energy – it's important that commercial food users and producers look at options other than landfill for food disposal,” he added.

Mr Simpson said that PDM Group was looking into a variety of different technologies to help it increase its presence in the renewable energy sector and added: “This is just one of a number of technologies we hope to use of the coming years to enable us to become an important player in the provision of renewable energy.”

A spokesman for PDM Group added the company was currently investing in new energy from waste technology, including anaerobic digestion and green power plants, to enable it to be at the forefront of creating renewable energy from food waste.