Work starts on "world's largest" renewable energy plant
14 Aug 2012
London, UK – Air Products has started work on the site of a pioneering renewable energy plant in the Tees Valley. The 50MW energy-from-waste (EfW) facility, it said, be the largest of its type in the world.
Sited at the New Energy and Technology Business Park, near Billingham, the plant is expected to burn up to 350,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste a year. It will employ Westinghouse gasification technology.
According to Air Products, the project could create up to 700 construction jobs and over 50 permanent jobs once the plant is fully up and running.
The Westinghouse ‘advanced gasification’ technology – to be provided by AlterNRG – is said to offer more efficient, cleaner conversion of waste-to-power than traditional EfW technologies.
The process technology can also generate a wider range of useful products, including heat, hydrogen, chemicals and fuels, said Air Product. There is, is added, potential to generate renewable hydrogen for commercial uses, such as fuelling public transport.
The UK is committed to diversifying its sources of energy, strengthening its energy security and reducing carbon emissions. This pioneering clean energy technology model is well-suited to these requirements,” said John McGlade, chairman, president and CEO of Air Products.
Air Products has already secured the necessary environmental and planning approvals for the facility, which is due on-stream in 2014.
