The facility will be located adjacent to its existing 750,000 tonnes per year capacity EfW plant and was estimated to cost upwards of £500 million when first announced in 2017.
It forms part of Cory’s plans to spend £800 million on its projects in the coming years, including the new facility and carbon capture technologies.
In a statement issued this afternoon (9 December), Cory said the plant, due to be operational in 2026, will help to achieve the aims of the Mayor’s London plan. This includes a target for 100% of London’s waste to be processed within the capital’s boundaries by the same year.
This is a huge milestone not only for Cory, but also for London
- Dougie Sutherland, Cory
Dougie Sutherland, CEO of Cory, said: “This is a huge milestone not only for Cory, but also for London and for the development of the UK’s low-carbon infrastructure.
“We are making a significant investment to ensure that we process non-recyclable waste to the highest standards at a site that is enabled for carbon capture and hydrogen production.
“This facility is being built to deliver a world-class service for the communities, businesses, and local authorities that really care about the environment.
“We are always looking for ways to mitigate our environmental impact. Riverside 2 will have the UK’s lowest nitrogen dioxide levels, will take refuse vehicles off our roads by transporting waste via the River Thames, and will be connected to one of the UK’s largest heat networks.”
Contract
Cory has also awarded Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) the engineering, procurement and construction contract for Riverside 2.
The existing facility was also built by HZI and Riverside 2 will utilise the same moving grate technology used at Riverside 1. Construction will begin in January 2023, with 140 new jobs created, Cory said.
Emissions
Cory added that it is also progressing an “industry-leading decarbonisation project”, which will also be located at the Belvedere site and has the potential to deliver 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 savings per annum by 2030.
The planned project includes carbon capture and storage technology as well as “green hydrogen generation”. One of the UK’s largest heat networks is also planned, Cory added, to be delivered in partnership with Vattenfall.
Cory will now continue to engage with the market to secure waste for the plant. In East London and the surrounding areas there are a number of contracts up for renewal in the coming years, and the facility’s location on the Thames means it can easily source waste from a number of other London authorities and the surrounding area, too.
In 2021, when speaking with letsrecycle.com, Mr Sutherland said the plant will “alleviate waste infrastructure issues” in the area.
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