Under the plans, Alauna Renewable Energy Ltd will design, finance, build and operate the proposed plant at the former railway marshalling yards near Millerhill, Midlothian.
The facility will be capable of receiving around 30,000 tonnes of household food waste per year from the local area and is expected to begin operating in 2015.
Taking feedstock from Edinburgh and Midlothian council food waste collections, the 1.5MW AD facility will use a combined heat and power (CHP) engine to convert biogas into 12MW hours of electricity per year.
The electricity will be used to power the plant, while excess electricity will be exported to Scottish Water via the local electricity supply grid. The facility will also produce a high-nutrient soil conditioner and fertiliser for agricultural use, Alauna claims.
The development is part of a 20 million, 20-year food waste contract agreed in February 2013 between the energy firm a joint venture between Kelda Water Services (a subsidiary of Yorkshire Water) and Scottish Water Horizons and the City of Edinburgh and Midlothian councils (see letsrecycle.com story).
Alauna Renewable Energy beat Viridor, AmeyCespa and Shanks to the contract, which were all on a four-bidder shortlist released in May 2011 as part of the procurement process (see letsrecycle.com story).
‘We are delighted with this news, which is another important step toward delivering a project that will make a significant contribution toward the councils’ Zero Waste ambitions’
Tom Hall, commercial manager at Alauna Renewable Energy
Planning Permission in Principle (PPiP) had already been granted by the council in January 2012 for an AD facility at the site, but a number of conditions related to the construction schedule, landscaping, appearance and transport needed to be satisfied.
These conditions have now been met and planning consent was granted by Midlothian council on Tuesday (May 28).
Tom Hall, commercial manager at Alauna Renewable Energy, said: We are delighted with this news, which is another important step toward delivering a project that will make a significant contribution toward the councils’ Zero Waste ambitions. We have been working closely with partner organisations and the councils to develop our plans for this modern, sustainable recycling facility. We now look forward to moving onto the construction of this exciting development.
Collections
The contract with Alauna Renewable Energy was procured under Zero Waste, a project between Edinburgh and Midlothian councils which was set up in response to the Scottish Governments Zero Waste Plan. The plan includes provisions to introduce landfill bans and separate collections for food and other waste types (see letsrecycle.com story).
Edinburgh introduced a food waste collection service in April 2011. At present, food waste is taken to Scottish Water Horizons Deerdykes anaerobic digestion facility in Cumbernauld for recycling. Meanwhile, Midlothian said it is working to introduce the service over the next few years. Residents in the area will be provided with a five litre kitchen caddy and a 20 litre food waste bin to support the roll out.
Gordon Pollock, project director for Zero Waste: Edinburgh and Midlothian, said: I am delighted to see the progress being made with the food waste treatment facility. The facility will play an important role in diverting waste from landfill, increasing recycling and generating low-carbon, renewable electricity.
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