The independent Airports Commission, chaired by Sir Howard Davies, is currently consulting on three options for expanding UK airport capacity, two of which concern expanding Heathrow and a third concerns adding another runway at Gatwick.
One of the Heathrow expansion options would see an additional runway built to the North West of the airport, and consultation documents published last week (November 11) reveal that the Lakeside EfW plant near Colnbrook is within the boundaries of the proposed new runway and would therefore need to be relocated.
However, while the Airports Commission suggests that completion of a new Heathrow runway is feasible as early as 2026, it adds that the replacement of the Lakeside EfW plant “is not considered an optional component of the scheme”.
Under this option, the Airports Commission has therefore earmarked a site next to the South West side of Heathrow for a replacement EfW facility, stating that planning for this alternative plant would need to begin “soon after a decision to proceed with airport expansion”.
[testimonial id = “99” align=”right”]
And, despite suggesting that a 2026 delivery date for the new runway is possible, the Commission believes that “the largest risks to the 2026 date may arise from the tunnelling of the M25 and the relocation of the energy from waste plant”.
However, documents add that the Airports Commission “believes that the extent of the risk that the scheme could not provide one additional runway’s capacity by 2030 is very low”.
The Airports Commission document states: “The proposed airfield expansion would require the removal and replacement of the Lakeside Energy from Waste plant. The plant, while not of national importance, nevertheless plays a significant role in regional and local waste management and has a valuable capability to process clinical waste and other contaminated material.”
It continues: “Its replacement is not considered an optional component of the scheme. The planning and construction of an Energy from Waste plant is a substantial exercise in its own right, whose timescales are not substantially shorter than the delivery of new runway infrastructure. The process of planning and provision of an alternative facility would, therefore, need to begin soon after a decision to proceed with airport expansion.
Delivery
Regarding delivery of the potential new Heathrow runway, the Commission’s assessment is that “considering the likely planning, legal and construction stages, the new runway might plausibly be delivered by 2026”, but that “as with any project of this scale, estimated delivery dates must be treated with a degree of caution at this stage in the process”.
The Airports Commission is due to publish its final report and assessment of the three options to expand UK airport capacity in summer 2015.
Opened in 2010, the 410,000 tonnes per year capacity Lakeside EfW facility near Slough is a joint venture between waste management companies Grundon and Viridor (see letsrecycle.com story). The plant takes in residual waste from a number of councils including Wiltshire county council and Poole borough council in Dorset, as well as a substantial tonnage for the West London Waste Authority.
There is also a clinical waste incinerator on the site adjacent to the residual EfW plant. This facility will also have to move.
Grundon
A spokeswoman for Grundon said: “There are still many decisions to be made about the proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport, including both whether – and where – there will be a new runway.
“The Davies Commission will not be reporting back until summer 2015, so any views taken before then will be purely speculative.
“However, Lakeside is aware of the proposed expansion plans and moving forward, will continue dialogue with all relevant parties. We are pleased that the Airports Commission has identified that there is a need to relocate both the Lakeside Energy from Waste facility – which generates 37MW per hour of sustainable energy from residual waste – and the associated Grundon clinical waste plant. Both facilities are regionally significant”.
Register for free to comment