SITA signs landmark waste wood supply contract

SITA UK has signed a landmark deal to supply waste wood to the largest waste wood-powered biomass plant in the UK.

The company announced today (April 4) that it has been awarded a contract to supply feedstock required bythe 200 million biomass combined heat and power (CHP)plant being developed by RWE npower renewables at Markinch in Fife, Scotland.

SITA will provide more than 50% (200,000 tonnes) of the 400,000 tonne-a-year feedstockrequired bythe 49.9 MW biomassplant which has been under construction since November 2010. The plant is due to be commissioned later this year and be fully operational by mid 2013.

SITA UK will use its existing network of sites in Scotland and the North of England to recover and process waste wood. It is likely that the deal will see up to 10 million invested by SITA UK and around 100 new jobs created.

Delighted

Graham Mayes, chief operating officer for SITA UK, said: We are delighted to have signed this deal with RWE npower renewables which will see SITA UK provide over half the wood required for this state of the art facility.

End of life wood largely comprises manufactured wood which has been processed such as MDF and chipboard. This is extremely difficult to recycle and is commonly disposed at landfill. Recovering this wood to generate energy at Markinch has massive environmental benefits and is a great example of the circular economy in action. Aside from replacing the need to burn fossil fuel, it also avoids CO2 and methane emissions that would be created if the wood was sent to landfill.

Torsten Zuber, head of feedstock management fuel Europe for RWE Innogy, the parent company of RWE npower renewables, said: We are pleased to have SITA UK as our long-term partner. The companys commitment to invest in new processing plant and equipment will allow SITA UK to recover greater volumes of wood from their waste management activities ensuring that good quality fuel is supplied to our specification on a timely, reliable basis. The deal marks a significant milestone which will secure the long term success and viability of the Markinch Biomass CHP plant.

Waste wood

A report published last year by Tolvik Consulting predicted that the UK would face a shortage of waste wood by 2015 due to the emergence of biomass plants such as the Markinch facility (see letsrecycle.com story).

But, a spokeswoman for RWE told letsrecycle.com that the company was confident of securing enough feedstock for its facility – although it is understood that some may have to come from as far away as London.

She said: “We have secured the feedstock on a long term basis from across the UK including local sources, although we have not announced these deals yet. We are very confident that the plant will be fed for the long term.”

Markinch

RWE npower renewables biomass CHP plant at Fife will be the largest of its kind in the UK. It will provide steam and electricity to the neighbouring Tullis Russell paper mill. Around 90% of the feedstock for the facility will be made up of recovered wood.

RWE npower renewables main contractors for the Markinch Biomass CHP are Metso Power Oy of Finland – responsible for the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of the Circulating Fluidised Bed Boiler. Jacobs Engineering and Construction Ltd are responsible for the design, procurement and construction of the rest of the plant.