Wiltshire EfW move from gasification ‘not called in’

Northacre Renewable Energy Limited – a joint venture between the Bioenergy Infrastructure Group (BIG) and The Hills Group – is now awaiting final approval from the Environment Agency for a permit for the 243,000 tonnes per year capacity facility.

According to the company, Michael Gove, secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, said the plant “does not meet the selective requirements for a call in, and is satisfied that it can be suitably determined by Wiltshire council’s strategic planning committee.”

Permit

A spokesperson for Northacre said the company is pleased with the decision, and said all eyes were now on the Environment Agency for approval.

“The project represents a £200 million investment in the local economy and a new source of employment including many highly-skilled permanent roles – forming part of the Government’s drive to ‘build back better’ in a post-Covid-19 economy,” they said.

“We are also pleased with progress on the environmental permit determination process. The Environment Agency issued a draft approval document for the permit, which is required to operate the Northacre energy from waste facility, on 10 March 2022.

“This is now in a period of further consultation, which closes on 22 April 2022, before the EA make their final decision.”

Planning

The company was originally granted planning permission from Wiltshire council in 2015 for an advanced thermal treatment facility.

However, plans to move the technology were turned down in 2018 (see letsrecycle.com story), before being accepted last year.

Despite question marks over the effectiveness of the technology, with some companies ditching plans, Northacre says gasification is “a very effective technology”. But, it gives s number of reasons for not using gasification including that supply chains for it were hit by uncertainties created by Brexit and that the supply lines for moving grate combustion are “more established”.

Importantly, Northacre also says that: “Conventional moving grate technology can offer more flexibility with predictable performance to adapt to the increasing focus and effort to remove certain materials such as plastic from residual waste streams.”