The Extension Project consists of a 450,000 tonne energy from waste plant under construction adjacent to a smaller, older heat and power plant which SSE owns.
SSE acquired the original Slough Heat and Power Plant, located on the Slough Trading Estate in Berkshire, for £49.25 million in January 2008 (see letsrecycle.com story).
This plant currently burns waste wood but is also permitted to burn biomass and refuse derived fuel (RDF). A spokesperson for SSE told letsrecycle.com the plant was operating “as normal” and supplying local businesses with heat.
In May 2017, Slough borough council granted planning permission for a new, £350 million energy from waste (EfW) facility at the site, known as Slough Multifuel, which would generate up to 50MW of electricity.
SSE is now seeking to increase the “efficiency” of this second facility so it can generate up to 60MW. As the electrical output would exceed 50MW, the project requires a development consent order (DCO) from business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng.
The energy company is running a public consultation on the plans until 17 June before submitting its application for a DCO.
Slough Multifuel will produce electricity and heat through burning 450,000 tonnes per year pre-processed RDF made from various sources of local authority and commercial and industrial waste. The SSE spokesperson said there are “two main anchor contracts in place already”, while waste suppliers would source material locally.
Consultation
Specialist EfW contractor HZI is building the facility. Construction began in May 2021 and is expected to take approximately three and a half years, SSE says.
Once operational, the plant will be connected to the Slough Heat and Power heat network. The SSE spokesperson said carbon capture was not under consideration “in the immediate future” but may be “at a later date”.
The spokesperson told letsrecycle.com: “Following the completion of our Stage 1 consultation, we have now launched a Stage 2 consultation for our Slough Multifuel project.
“This will allow us to gain valuable feedback from the local community and other stakeholders on our DCO, with the consultation due to run until 17 June.
“When completed, Slough Multifuel will play a key role in the UK’s sustainable waste management, diverting thousands of tonnes of waste away from landfill, and instead converting it into a valuable source of energy.”
In April 2020, SSE Thermal entered into an agreement with Danish investment firm Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) to develop the Slough Multifuel facility as a 50:50 joint venture (see letsrecycle.com story).
Efficiency
Improving the efficiency of the facility involves the mechanical modifications to the steam turbine inlet control system and provision of additional systems including heat exchanger bundles, external and internal above ground pipework and valves, pipe supports and thermal insulation, according to documents published by SSE.
The spokesperson said SSE had “considered” waste wood as fuel for the facility. “However, it was not planned as the sole fuel for use in the Slough Multifuel plant,” the spokesperson said.
The increase in efficiency and generating capacity will not require any increase in the hourly throughput of RDF or the number of approved deliveries to the facility, SSE’s documents say.
Waste will be delivered to the facility by road because “there are no alternative transportation options due to the density of the site and its surrounds,” the spokesperson said.
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