The company added four new engines to its Pilsworth site at a cost of 2 million. This will increase the plant's capacity from 2.8 to 7MW – enough to power almost 10,000 homes. The plant generates electricity from methane from the Pilsworth landfill site next door.
A spokesman for Viridor said of landfill gas generation: “It ensures the maximum amount of gas is actively captured rather than passively released to atmosphere (methane is a powerful greenhouse gas), thus turning a potential negative environmental impact into a positive benefit (renewable power generation). It also ensures that the risk of off-site odours form the landfill are further minimised, thus adhering to Viridor's good neighbour policy.”
Pilsworth power plant opened in 1998. Viridor now has power plants at 16 sites, and hopes to install a further five MW capacity in 2004.
Recycling site
Viridor is also expanding its recycling operations under its Scottish arm, Viridor-Enviroscot. The company has gained planning permission to develop a 28 acre 'E;nvironmental Park' on a recycling site in Bargeddie, North Lanarkshire.
The Park will include a MRF, glass re-processing plant, wood recycling, aggregate screening and a waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) sorting facility. It will have a throughput of 250,000 tonnes mixed materials per year.
A spokesman said: “This cutting edge facility has been designed to handle pre-segregated dry recyclables form household 'survival bags', kerbside collection systems, recycling points and recycling parks. It will also process segregated cardboard, wood waste, soil, stone and aggregates from recycling parks.”
Viridor has a programme of establishing waste transfer stations across Scotland's central belt.
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