Contract awarded for Scottish EfW facility

The facility, which will be the 12th to be jointly delivered by the Anglo-French businesses, is being built on behalf of a consortium involving Brockwell Energy, Green Investment Group (GIG) and the energy from waste specialist Covanta Energy.

Expected to be completed in 2021, the Earls Gate Energy Centre (EGEC) is worth an estimated £210 million.

Planning consent for the facility was granted in January 2017, and an environmental permit issued by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency in March 2018. Financial close reached at the end of last year (December 2018).

According to a permit document, the facility will be based on a single moving-grate incinerator to treat non-hazardous waste.

On financial close Brockwell will retain 50% of EGEC while GIG together with its coinvestor Covanta Energy will acquire the other 50% of EGEC though a jointly owned vehicle.

Supply

According to the developers, EGEC will become a source of green energy for businesses located in the area. This includes chemical manufacturer and site service provider CalaChem, which has entered into a long-term energy supply agreement for the offtake of electricity and steam produced from the facility.

Under the arrangements, Clugston will provide all the building and civil engineering services to support the specialist process engineering plant designed and installed by Constructions Industrielles de la Mediterranee (CNIM).

Construction of the main facility is due to start in spring 2019 and it is expected to be operational by late 2021. A ‘meet the buyer’ event is being organised for later in March.

Having successfully delivered the Earls Gate project, Brockwell said its attention will move to delivering its EfW project at Westfield in Fife – which it describes as “another important Scottish asset designed to deal with capacity shortfall”.

Energy from waste capacity is under particular spotlight at present due to the incoming ban on biodegradable waste to landfill, due to come into effect in 2021.

Bodies including the Scottish Environmental Services Association (SESA) have expressed concerns over the potential availability of waste treatment infrastructure in the country in advance of the ban (see letsrecycle.com story).

Related Links
CNIM
Clugston
Covanta
Green Investment Group
Brockwell Energy