Gasification plant gets go-ahead in Doncaster
Elaine Brass
12th August 2009
Planning consent has been granted to build a a community-sized gasification plant to handle Doncaster’s local waste and divert it from landfill.
Doncaster Metropolitan Council has granted the consent to Energos, the energy from waste business behind the gasification technology, and renewable energy company Biogen Power. The partnership aims to build a
120,000 tonne Energy Recovery Facility (ERF), at Kirk Sandal, East Doncaster, at a cost of £75 million. The project is expected to create hundreds of construction jobs over its two-year build programme and will generate enough renewable energy to power 18,000 homes, plus heat and steam for neighbouring businesses.
The Doncaster development is the the sixth planning consent Energos has received in the UK for ERFs using its gasification technology. This advanced two-stage thermal treatment process converts residual, non-recyclable waste into a gas by using the heat of partial combustion to liberate the hydrogen and carbon within the waste. The process produces syngas, which is combusted in a controlled environment that results in extremely low emissions and produces steam, which can be used to supply renewable heat and/or electricity. One such community-sized gasification plant is already in operation on the Isle of Wight.
"In Doncaster the small-scale nature of the technology and
application, local sustainability and the proven operational record of
Energos plants in Europe and the Isle of Wight, clearly won the hearts
and minds of the planning committee," said Christian Reeve, BioGen Power’s ceo. "Construction will take two years
and we plan to start in late 2010, creating up to 200 jobs, many of
which will be locally sourced. Once operational, the facility will provide some 30 green collar jobs
with a similar number being created within third party support
services.”
Nick Dawber, managing director of Energos, added: “Our model is to create small-sized plants that can exist at the heart of a community, and handle the local leftover waste that the community cannot recycle. Residents, businesses and local governments recognise that it’s not possible to continue sending waste to landfill and our 100 per cent planning record suggests that they are prepared to accept appropriately sized, new generation technology solutions to deal responsibly with their own waste.