Two new technology plants proposed for Havering

A 25 million gasification plant has been proposed for a site in Rainham, to deal with up to 90,000 tonnes of solid recovered fuel, possibly from the Shanks mechanical biological treatment plant located nearby.

A computer-generated image of the gasification plant proposed for Havering by Austrialian firm Novera Energy Ltd

And, for a site down the road at Coldharbour Lane, a plant has been proposed to use high-temperature steam technology to process up to 160,000 tonnes of waste each year collected from households in Tower Hamlets.

Councillors at Havering have already looked into the Coldharbour Lane proposal, which was put forward by waste firm Cleanaway, but have now passed it on to another committee for scrutiny. The gasification plant, put forward by power generation firm Novera Energy Ltd, is to be considered on February 23.

Cleanaway
Cleanaway – a waste firm currently subject of a forthcoming takeover deal – wants to build a plant using “autoclave” technology to process mixed household waste. Waste would be transported to the proposed site from the London borough of Tower Hamlets via the River Thames.

Cleanaway claims the plant would see Tower Hamlet's recycling rate increasing to 75-80%.

Havering council looked at Cleanaway's application last week, but a spokesman told letsrecycle.com today: “No decision has been made on the item, as this will be decided by the London Thames Gateway Committee.”

But revealing councillors' initial thoughts on the proposal before passing it to the Thames Gateway committee, the council spokesman said they were unsure whether the processing of waste from Tower Hamlets in Havering would be in accordance with the “proximity principle”, which suggests waste should be treated as close to home as possible.

Councillors were also concerned that the plant's potential long-term lifespan would have a negative effect on the perception of the area, and would deter further investment. The council's Thames Gateway committee has not yet scheduled a hearing for the application.

Novera
The gasification plant has been proposed for a site at the Fairfield Industrial Park in Rainham by Australian company Novera Energy Limited. The council spokesman confirmed that the application is likely to be looked at on February 23 2006.

Novera has proposed that the facility would be running for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to deal with between 70,000 and 90,000 tonnes per annum once it is running at full capacity.

The site put forward by Novera would be just 100 metres away from the “Bio-MRF” being developed by Shanks East London for its East London Waste Authority contract.

Novera has said material from the Shanks plant could be delivered to its gasification facility either by road or via an enclosed conveyor system.

The gasification plant is designed to produce 13MW of energy, 10MW of which would be available for use by the neighbouring Ford Motor Company plant and the national grid. The remained would be used by the plant itself.

Heat generated would also be available for use in the plant and, as the technology develops, to other users as well.

John Howson, business development manager at Novera, said: “We think this facility can be an environmental flagship for London. We have received some very positive feedback from local people on the proposals though and hope to be able to gain planning permission early in the New Year.”