LondonWaste recommends refurbishment for incinerator

The energy from waste plant in Edmonton is by LWL, which in turn is owned by the NWLA, comprising seven London boroughs, and Sita. The NWLA meets today to discuss the best option for the plant's five boilers in order to meet the requirements of the Waste Incineration Directive.

The agenda for the NWLA meeting says that there are implications in the directive for the Edmonton incinerator: “These are to further reduce emissions to the atmosphere mainly of oxides of nitrogen, acid gases and carbon monoxide and to reduce the remaining organic content in the bottom ash. It also requires that gases from the combustion process are maintained at temperatures at or above 850 degrees centigrade for at least two seconds to destroy further potentially harmful substances.”

In order to meet the directive requirements the five boilers must either be refurbished or placed with two larger capacity boilers. The agenda also puts forward the advantages and disadvantages of refurbishing the existing boilers and replacing them.

The agenda, put together by NWLA officers in response to the request by LondonWaste to refurbish the boilers, takes into account the financial, environmental and regulatory issues of each option.

The agenda summarised: “From an overall perspective, the key issues are:

• “LWL, their consultant Suez Environment, and the Authority's consultant AEA Technology all agree that the refurbishment option can meet the requirements of the Waste Incineration Directive in relation to emissions to air and the chemical make-up of the bottom ash.
• “The Environment Agency has agreed to the refurbishment option in principle, so long as the above WID requirements are met.
• “The refurbishment option can be fully financed before the expiry of the main waste disposal contract in 2014.
• “The refurbishment option provides future flexibility in terms of choices over currently new and emerging alternatives to energy-from-waste incineration for residual waste disposal.

“The Authority is therefore recommended to give LondonWaste Ltd its consent to the refurbishment option for complying with the Waste Incineration Directive.”