Novera Energy leaves Defra programme

Novera Energy is building a gasification plant in Rainham, Essex, to process refuse-derived fuel supplied by Shanks East London.

The plant secured planning permission partly thanks to the Defra seal of approval that went with being part of the Demonstrator Programme, which was set up in 2003 to prove the viability of various new-to-market municipal waste treatment technologies, and help local authorities in their selection of processes needed to divert waste from landfill.

Australian-owned Novera has not announced the withdrawal from the Defra programme on its website as yet.

But in a letsrecycle.com feature published today, Dave Brooks, the head of new technologies at Defra's Waste Implementation Programme revealed: “Novera Energy has withdrawn from the demonstration.”

Mr Brooks said of the company: “They have just made an announcement to us and I think, the stock exchange.”

Mr Brooks, who is stepping down from his position at Defra at the end of the month, would not give the exact reasons for Novera leaving the scheme, which has only seen two plants become operational so far, with two or the original 10 projects dropping out.

“We have always said the attrition rate for the programme would be very high,” he said. “The timescale we are operating on is very demanding – all of the technologies have to have their final reports done by the end of March 2009 and if they can't do that then obviously we have to come to an arrangement.”

Novera

Speaking to letsrecycle.com a spokeswoman for Novera Energy was unable to confirm the company's status with regard to the Demonstrator Programme at this point.

However, she did insist that preparations for the 90,000 tonnes-per-annum capacity gasification plant were “well underway”, stating that the facility was “expected to be fully operational by the end of 2009”.

In a statement, the spokeswoman said: “Novera Energy is committed to developing the East London Sustainable Energy Facility as an important and local solution to renewable energy generation in Havering. The facility will produce clean energy in the form of electricity using fuel made from household waste left after recycling and composting, supplied by Shanks East London.”

Novera Energy was granted was granted planning permission for the plant in Dagenham in September 2006.

The gasification technology is being supplied by Canadian company Enerkem Technologies, and will take refuse derived fuel from Shank's MBT plant in Frog Island. The advanced thermal technology will heat and clean the RDF and convert it into a gas fuel.

The gas will then be used to fuel the electricity generator and is predicted to create around 10-12MW of electricity. Another output from the Novera plant, char, has the potential to be used as an aggregate material.

Novera said further announcements “will be made as the project progresses”.

For more on the New Technologies Programme, see this letsrecycle.com feature.