16 April 2013 | By Marino Donati
Plans to develop an advanced gasification energy from waste facility in the Midlands have been launched.
Waste2Tricity (W2T) is overseeing a concept design study to produce proposals for the facility that would convert around 100,000 tonnes of residual household and commercial and industrial waste to provide almost 109,000 MW hours of electricity every year.
The exact location has yet to be revealed but a planning applicaton is scheduled for the summer
The project will use Westinghouse plasma assisted gasification from Alter NRG. It will use internal combustion engines, but is also expected to demonstrate AFC Energy’s alkaline fuel cells (pictured, left), as they become commercially available.
W2T chairman Peter Jones said he expected it to be the first of many similar programmes for its project partners.
He said: “The 100,000 tonnes a year model will meet the localism agenda, using locally derived feedstock to supply electricity to local homes and businesses. We believe there is a potential market in the UK for up to 100 units of this size.
“Once we are able to deploy fuel cells, the output from our plants will increase substantially and be carbon capture ready, holding out the prospect of carbon negative electricity.”
It is hoped the plant will be operational in late 2016.