In brief: Energy-from-waste contract news

The North West of England appears to be in geographical demand with the latest energy-from-waste activity centred in this region.


In Widnes, planning permission has been granted to food waste recycler PDM to build an 4MW industrial scale anaerobic digestion (AD) facility on its existing rendering and renewable energy generation site.

The development is the latest phase in PDM’s plan to expand its ReFood AD brand across the UK and the company has pledged to spend £40m building two new plants. Construction is due to commence next month, with completion expected in late 2013.

With the capacity to handle 90,000 tonnes of commercial and domestic food waste, the £20m facility will generate enough energy for around 8,000 homes, as well as heat which will be used by its rendering operation on site and by adjacent businesses. The organic fertiliser produced will be used by local farmers in the region.

PDM’s commercial director Philip Simpson said the development will help create a unique range of recycling and renewable energy services at a single location.

“This area is an important hub in terms of food manufacture and retail distribution, so it’s the ideal place to offer such treatments for the 10m plus tonnes of food waste the UK generates,” he commented.

Meanwhile Reform Energy has signed an agreement with Hijaz Group to provide access to ethical investment funding for an energy recovery plant at Fleetwood, Lancashire.

This is the first of a number of ethical investments by Reform and Hijaz Group which will focus primarily on UK-based projects delivering energy generation, economic regeneration and infrastructure improvements.

Work on the site is scheduled to start early in 2013. The plant will generate up to 10MW of electricity and up to 20MW of heat from around 75,000 tonnes of commercial waste processed annually. It is scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 2014.

The plant is said to represent an innovative approach to energy recovery as it will be co-located alongside an existing commercial waste transfer station.

A spokesperson for Reform Energy said: “The plant at Fleetwood is the first of what will be a series of UK projects and we were therefore seeking a funding partnership that would provide a sustainable model for substantial investment in key infrastructure areas.

“The traditional venture capital approach where the investor may drive the project for the most rapid financial gain was not the route we wanted to follow.”

Maxine Perella

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