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SITA makes “big commitment” to gasification

http://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/waste-management/sita-makes-big-commitment-to-gasification

Waste management firm SITA UK has today (September 9) made one of the UK’s “biggest ever commitments” to developing gasification capacity after signing a partnership agreement with Monmouth-based Cyclamax Holdings.

The deal covers the development of six gasification and recycling-led resource parks across the UK, which are intended to treat a combined total of 600,000 tonnes of commercial and industrial waste each year.

Under the agreement between the two firms, French-owned SITA is set to develop materials recycling facilities on four of the planned sites and also provide waste for the gasification process, while Cyclamax will operate the gasification plants.

Stuart Hayward-Higham, technical director at SITA UK, said: “This agreement is one of the first of its kind in the UK and is an important step forward in investing in the alternate treatment technologies to service the industrial and commercial waste market at a local level in the UK.”

“At SITA UK our goal is to offer our customers a service that allows them to reach a point where the majority of their waste materials can be reused, recycled or recovered for their energy content, in others words to give waste ‘a second life’ wherever possible. Gasification is one of the many tools we can use to meet this goal and we are pleased to announce this agreement as another significant step forward in our plans,” he added.The deal between SITA and Cyclamax is set to see it work together to develop projects such as the Sheepbridge Resource Park

The first four resource parks are set to be developed using batched gasification technology, a renewable energy technology distributed in the UK by waste-to-energy company Planet Advantage Limited – which is a subsidiary of Ascot Environmental Limited.

Parks

Four of the proposed resource parks – intended for sites at Dagenham, Avonmouth, Chesterfield and Derby – have already either received planning permission or are in the planning process, with the locations of the two additional facilities set to be announced in due course.

The first four facilities are expected to produce in excess of 45MW of electricity, which Cyclamax claims is sufficient to power over 85,000 homes.

Tony Watkins, managing director of Cyclamax, said: “By combining the expertise of both Cyclamax and SITA UK we feel we can offer localised, sustainable recycling and renewable energy solutions by productively diverting around 600,000 tonnes of waste away from landfill.

“Gasification technologies are particularly suited to delivering local community scale solutions and with investment levels of around £220M for the first four facilities, are economically competitive at this scale,” he added.

Proposals for the Chesterfield facility came under scrutiny in January this year when the local borough council’s planning committee refused to back plans for the 60,000 tonnes-a-year capacity merchant facility. However, Cyclamax said the decision did not affect its plans (see letsrecycle.com story).

Gasification

The gasification process sees waste materials converted into a gas called synthesis gas – or ‘syngas’ – that is made up of differing proportions of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and some methane.

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In the case of gasification, which uses a combustion process, the oxygen levels are kept purposefully very low so that the combustion reaction only gets to the volatilisation stage where combustible gases are produced. The syngas generated can then be tapped off and used elsewhere for a multitude of applications.

Ascot, which has a contract with Cyclamax to provide ‘turnkey’ gasification facilities at the first four of the proposed sites, opened its first batched gasification plant in Scotland last month

http://www.sita.co.uk/news-and-views/press-releases/sita-uk-and-cyclamax-to-partner-on-six-new

SITA UK and Cyclamax to partner on six new gasification-led Resource Parks for commercial and industrial waste

SITA UK has teamed up with waste management development company, Cyclamax, to develop six gasification and recycling-led Resource Parks, which will treat in excess of 600,000 tonnes of commercial and industrial waste. This agreement is one of the biggest ever commitments to developing gasification capacity in the UK and will produce enough electrical power for over 85,000 homes.

The first four resource parks will be developed using batched gasification technology, a relatively simple, but robust renewable energy technology distributed in the UK by Planet Advantage Limited and integrated into the EPC contract by Ascot Environmental Limited.

Four of the Resource Parks including Dagenham (part of the Sustainable Industries Park being developed by the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation in Dagenham), Avonmouth, Chesterfield and Derby have either received planning permission or are in the planning process. The locations of the two additional facilities will be announced in due course. SITA UK will develop its own materials recycling facilities on the Avonmouth, Derby and Chesterfield sites and will supply the waste to each facility.

Each Resource Park has been designed to be of a community scale and will provide the local area with an alternative solution for treating industrial and commercial waste with facilities to recover materials for recycling and recover energy from the residual waste. The first four facilities are expected to produce in excess of 45MW of electricity, sufficient to power over 85,000 homes. For example, the Sheepbridge facility will provide power for around 38 per cent of the homes in its host town of Chesterfield.

Stuart Hayward-Higham, Technical Director at SITA UK, says: “This agreement is one of the first of its kind in the UK and is an important step forward in investing in the alternate treatment technologies to service the industrial and commercial waste market at a local level in the UK”.

“At SITA UK our goal is to offer our customers a service that allows them to reach a point where the majority of their waste materials can be reused, recycled or recovered for their energy content, in others words to give waste ‘a second life’ wherever possible. Gasification is one of the many tools we can use to meet this goal and we are pleased to announce this agreement as another significant step forward in our plans.

“We believe that there is an exciting future for gasification and other energy recovery technologies in the UK.”

Tony Watkins, Managing Director of Cyclamax Holdings Limited, adds: “This is not about using technology for technology’s sake, nor about a one-size-fits-all approach. Our goal is to bring forward developments that have sustainability at their core; reducing the environmental impact of waste management and fossil fuel power production through recycling and generating renewable energy from non recyclable waste residues. We see each development as a community based project providing good quality local employment and in many cases returning Brownfield land back to beneficial use. Clearly, to successfully deliver these projects you need to work with like minded partners who share your aspirations and we are delighted to make the announcement of our agreement to work with SITA UK on these Resource Parks.

“By combining the expertise of both Cyclamax and SITA UK we feel we can offer localised, sustainable recycling and renewable energy solutions by productively diverting around 600,000 tonnes of waste away from landfill.

“Gasification technologies are particularly suited to delivering local community scale solutions and with investment levels of around £220M for the first four facilities, are economically competitive at this scale.”

http://www.sita.co.uk/your-environment/our-plans/binn-farm

Gasification facility

Permission has been granted by Perth and Kinross Council for SITA UK to develop a gasification facility at Binn Farm.

The plans for a 60,000 tonne per annum gasification facility that will treat municipal waste and small amounts of business waste were granted permission in October 2011. The facility will generate enough electricity to heat and light the equivalent of almost 8,000 homes.

The planning application for the facility was submitted in October 2010 following a series of public consultation events with local residents and regular liaison with local community councils.

Copies of the exhibition panels and a newsletter distributed to local residents as part of the consultation can be found below, both containing detailed information on the proposals and contact details for more information.

http://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/councils/pickles-backs-sita-surrey-gasification-plant

Pickles backs SITA Surrey gasification plant

6 December 2011

SITA UK’s long running attempts to build an energy from waste plant in Surrey have been given a boost after a decision by Eric Pickles, secretary of state for communities and local government, not to review plans for a site in Shepperton.

Dubbed an ‘Eco Park’ by SITA UK, which has a 25 year contract with Surrey county council, the facility will include “a batch oxidisation gasification facility and an anaerobic digester” which will sit alongside improved recycling and waste transfer facilities.

‘The Eco Park will have huge financial and environmental benefits for our county’
– Surrey county council leader David Hodge

Now, it has been revealed that last week Mr Pickles decided not to review the application for the facility which means that Surrey county council can now grant planning permission.

A statement from Surrey today said that the Eco Park will help Surrey towards achieving its long-term aim “to eliminate the use of landfill, which costs the county £600,000 every month in taxes alone while also damaging the environment.”

Food waste

The Shepperton site will deal with 40,000 tonnes of food waste and 60,000 tonnes of household waste a year and is expected to generate sufficient power “for thousands of homes”.

Surrey county council leader David Hodge said: “This is very good news for the people of Surrey. The Eco Park will have huge financial and environmental benefits for our county.”

Members of Surrey County Council’s Planning and Regulatory Committee approved the Eco Park planning application from SITA Surrey in June 2011. The decision was then referred to the Secretary of State for consideration.

Moving closer: artist’s impression of the proposed SITA Surrey gasification plant, Shepperton

Batch oxidisation gasification involves heating waste to produce a gas which is then combusted to produce heat and steam for electricity generation.

Delighted

Gareth Phillips, planning manager at SITA UK, said: “Following confirmation that the secretary of state for communities and local government will not hold a public inquiry to consider the planning application for an Eco Park at Charlton Lane, Shepperton, we are delighted that we can now move forward with the development.

“Surrey needs this facility to deal with household waste in the most populated northern part of the county. Landfill tax is increasing at the rate of £8 per tonne per year and at present Surrey County Council is spending £600,000 a month on landfill tax alone.
SITA UK has made slow progress so far in developing infrastructure for its Surrey contract which was awarded in September 1999 and in 2006 agreed changes to its contract which allowed for the construction of smaller facilities, see letsrecycle.com story.

The next stage of the project is expected to be an application by SITA UK, once planning permission has been confirmed, for an environmental permit from the Environment Agency and to gain consent to divert an existing footpath, alongside the development of detailed designs. Construction is expected to get underway in autumn 2012.

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SITA Surrey

Prior to that, work to improve the existing waste site, which was approved in an earlier planning application, will get underway. This is due to start in spring 2012 and will include work on the entrance to improve access to the site and ease congestion.

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