Energy-from-waste solution for Solutia UK site

Newport, UK – Waste Recycling Group (WRG) is to build an energy-from-waste facility (EfW) on land at chemical company Solutia UK Ltd’s headquarters site in Newport, Wales. The proposal is to meet the requirements of Project Green, which aims to support the local authorities of Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, Caerphilly, Newport and Monmouthshire in the long-term management of its municipal waste.

The scheme, said WRG, could potentially support a district heating system by using the steam created through the burning of the local municipal waste, while Solutia could also receive electricity and steam generated by the plant once it is up and running. Solutia has recently installed two 2.5-megawatt wind turbines on the site as part of a plan to source its energy needs in ways which will reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and lower its carbon dioxide emissions.

The project team has begun a procurement process, inviting private companies to bid for the contract, offering their own individual solutions to the problem. The process is expected to take two years, with Projct Green discussing companies’ bids with them until the summer of 2011 before announcing a preferred bidder that autumn, and planning for the winning project beginning in 2012.

WRG aims to submit a planning application in the summer of 2010 for the proposed facility, which would potentially be ready to start operation in 2014. WRG and Solutia say they are committed to ensuring that there will be full public consultation with local residents, statutory bodies and other interested groups.

UK waste management and energy recovery company WRG is part of Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC) – an international construction and environmental services group. FCC in the UK comprises WRG and Focsa Services (UK) Ltd.