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LondonEnergy: A period of transformation

Libby Stonell, editor of letsrecycle, visits LondonEnergy’s Edmonton EcoPark to learn more about the company’s past, present and future.

Upon meeting Jim Kendall, managing director of LondonEnergy, he is quick to acknowledge that the company might be best known for its Energy from Waste plant, but throughout our interview, it becomes clear that to the community it serves, LondonEnergy and its owners North London Waste Authority (NLWA), are much more than just that.

NWLA is said to be managing about a quarter of all the rubbish recycling in London, and since 1971, Edmonton EcoPark’s EfW plant has been diverting rubbish from landfill and generating electricity instead. But, having such a history does come at a price with the inevitable ageing of the EcoPark, so, in comes the North London Heat and Power Project, costing £1.5 billion in total.

Kendall explains: “As part of the project, an EfW facility is being constructed by NLWA, and our involvement is and will be to operate and maintain it. But the larger project is much broader than what you can see being constructed currently.

“There’s a new resource recovery facility which is now open as of last year, and a new reuse and recycling centre as well as a visitor centre, so this is a real period of transformation.”

The Energy Recovery Facility in the process of being constructed has some major claims to live up to, with LondonEnergy’s latest sustainability report stating that it will be the “greenest in the country”. Kendall says: “This is a huge project using one and a half billion pounds of public money.”

And having toured the site, energy recovery facility construction aside, the results of this public money are already visible. The facilities are modern and look to be fit for the future. The reuse and recycling centre, officially opened in July 2024, was designed with user experience at the heart of its plans, with a split-level design of bays, avoiding the use of stairs. A roof and exterior fins have been included to shelter operatives and residents from the elements.

The Sea Cadets have been located on site for many years, and the new visitor centre, Eco Park House, overlooking the river, acts as their new base.

Deanna Donaldson, communications and engagement manager at LondonEnergy, said during the tour that the upgrade has been designed with education considered. Overlooking the facilities is a winding glass corridor, which masks any odours and provides a clear view of residents recycling, as well as operatives dealing with the incoming waste on the opposite side. Donaldson tells letsrecycle: “We already have plans to invite local schools in to learn more about recycling, and this feature provides a great opportunity, as they’re immersed, but safe and able to hear whoever is showing them around.”

LondonEnergy’s further work in the community includes a plethora of recycling schemes set up within the last few years, including mattresses, hard plastics, polystyrene and carpets. It works with local charity Forest Recycling Project, which collects reusable paint from LondonEnergy and resells it in its shop to residents at a discounted rate.

The company also ran a free books scheme for National Book Day, and further extended this into Christmas, which saw its reuse shop giving away books for free, as well as toys for a greatly discounted rate. Kendall adds: “A lot of what’s donated is of really high quality, and finds a good home where a resident might not have the resources to pay full price for these things new.”

Emissions Trading Scheme

Although all these examples go to show that LondonEnergy are known for more than just energy from waste, there’s no avoiding somewhat of a hot topic over the past year – the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

Kendall says: “It’s going to be challenging for local authorities who are strapped for cash as I’m not sure how they will be able to afford it. It’s ultimately going to flow back through to residents, and given the government recently announced how much local authorities are getting as part of the EPR scheme, I think we could end up in a slightly perverse situation where the government are giving with one hand and taking away with the other.”

Kendall notes that he is unsure how effective ETS will be in driving behaviour change. “With any taxation scheme, you have to think about the intention of it, and I believe the effect of adding a few pounds to resident’s council tax bills is too remote from the consideration of ‘what bin do I put this in?’”

With so much in the pipeline, what are Kendall’s, and LondonEnergy’s, priorities for 2025?

“The majority of our focus will be the North London Heat and Power Project, naturally. We’re keen to get our people and business ready for the transition to our new energy recovery facility. While of course we’ll retrain as many people as we can, we’ll need new skills that align with the automation of our new facility. Also key to our success is our culture, values and behaviours, as well as asset management and skills, knowledge and understanding which are important for best serving our residents,” Kendall adds.

And as for goals further than 2025? “Well, we’ve been here for 50 years, and we hope to be here for 50 more.”

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