NEWS
Viridor and the £252m Resource Recovery Centre in Avonmouth
UK recycling and renewable energy company Viridor
has spent £5.3 million so far with local businesses within 30 miles of the £252 million Resource Recovery Centre in Avonmouth.
Greater Manchester - a world leader
in energy transformation?
Greater Manchester is tipped to be a world leader in transforming how we generate& use energy, but more investment in energy efficiency and local energy is needed for the full poten- tial to be realised. This is according to the new ‘Energising Greater Manchester’ report which was released this month. The report is the latest in a series of ‘local stories’ produced by the Association for the Conservation of
efficient and low carbon energy projects across the region to highlight how local authorities, businesses, industry and residents are driving the change to meet carbon reduction targets, improve competitiveness and health and wellbeing. Two of the case studies featured are the Greater
Energy (ACE) and was writ- ten in collaboration with the Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE). The report showcases local,
said: “From efficiency improvements which are cutting bills and carbon, to local generation improving local business revenue and flexible energy demand keeping supplies secure, this report highlights how local energy is transforming Greater Manchester. Dr Wade explains: “Greater Manchester was at the heart of the energy transformation during the industrial revolution and is well-placed to be a world leader in the transformation to an efficient, local and low carbon system today. While much has been achieved, more investment in both energy efficiency and local energy supply will help Greater Manchester achieve its full potential .”
The Taunton-based company has been working with
local contractors including PMS, GAP Hire Solutions, Hanson and B&A on the construction of the Avonmouth centre which will use environmentally sustainable technology to divert 320,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste away from landfill. Viridor Managing Director Phil Piddington said: “As part
of Viridor’s Resource Recovery Centre construction we have been clear that working with local businesses is at the heart of establishing ourselves as a responsible neighbour. It is not just during the construction phase of these projects that local suppliers can benefit, we will require support throughout the life of the facility.” In line with Viridor and its construction partners commitment to supporting the local economy, some of the suppliers were sourced directly from Viridor’s ‘Meet the Buyer’ event in Bristol last July, attended by more than 30 companies interested in being involved. Construction onsite started in summer 2017 and, when
operational, the facility will be able to convert 320,000 tonnes of non-hazardous industrial waste which would otherwise go to landfill each year into renewable energy. When operational Viridor will generate around 34MW of
low carbon energy, enough electrical power to supply 44,000 homes, the equivalent of a population larger than the city of Bath. A third of the available capacity of this new facility will be
being taken up from Somerset County Council by diverting waste which is currently transported to three landfill sites. The Hallen-based B&A Group is supplying more than 200,000 tonnes of recycled aggregates to help build the facility, with its highly experienced transport team ensuring the project runs as smoothly as possible. Ashley Bruno, B&A Group’s recycling aggregate sales manager said: ‘‘We are delighted to be working with Viridor on its resource recovery centre here at Avonmouth. B&A being local means we can respond quickly to progress on site and are alive to local issues around moving materials and being considerate operators.’’ Viridor’s Avonmouth Project Manager, Helen Moon,
added: “Viridor and its construction partners are committed to supporting local businesses, who are a key part of building strong foundations for our resource recovery centre. We have been on site now for over a year and having established strong links with local businesses is paying dividends, and is setting us up well for the next phases of construction, when progress will be clear for everyone to see.”
10
Under the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive,1 the UK is committed to meeting a target of 15% of our energy from renewables by 2020. This will require an almost 7-fold increase in the use of renewable energy. Doing so the UK can help to develop a more diverse, low carbon energy mix; so helping the UK to meet its binding carbon budgets and to ensure security of supply, and providing new, green jobs and investment opportunities in the UK. This will require changes in both power and heat generation. By 2020, 12% of the UK’s heat could be provided by renewable sources. Biogas – gas manufactured from organic matter, as opposed to the natural gas which is produced from geological strata underground – potentially has a significant role in contributing to our renewables target, and towards the UK’s longer term goals. There have been a number of studies on the potential of biomethane in Britain. These
have indicated a wide band of potentials for energy production, depending on the end use of the resources and the conversion technologies involved. Of the potential 100TWhs of energy from biomass available in the UK, approximately 1020TWhs could be from biogas produced by anaerobic digestion. When the process of gasification has been proven commercially, Synthesis Gas, or Syngas, will also be able to make a significant contribution. One way of using biogas and syngas is to inject it, as biomethane, into the gas grid – into
the pipeline networks which supply UK homes and businesses. The Renewable Energy Strategy also considered that biomethane injection might contribute towards meeting UK 2020 renewable energy targets. Biodegradable wastes currently going to landfill, along with manures, slurries and sewage sludge, provide a significant source of feedstock for biomethane production. Diversion of waste that would otherwise end up in landfill has the additional benefit of reducing methane emissions from landfill.
JULY - AUGUST 2018 UK Power NewS
Could slurry reserves represent the next frontier in energy generation?
Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Green Deal Communities Little Bill Programme, which supported 1,240 fuel poor homes with energy retrofit works, and the energy efficient combined heat and power generation at Cargill. ACE CEO Dr Joanne Wade
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