The Overwood Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) would process up to 330,000 tonnes of non-recyclable municipal, commercial and industrial waste each year into heat and electricity. It would generate around 34.1MW of electricity, of which 30.7MWe will be exported to the national grid.
Viridor planning manager (North and Scotland) Grant Scott said: “The proposed Overwood Energy Recovery Facility is a state-of-the-art development that will play a vital role in diverting our everyday waste from landfill. By utilising waste left over from the recycling process, the facility will convert it into electricity, helping to meet the upcoming landfill ban and supporting the Scottish Government’s ‘Zero Waste’ strategy.
“Over the coming months, we look forward to presenting these plans to the local community. Whilst the ongoing restrictions regarding Covid-19 will impact how this is done, we have put together a comprehensive digital engagement programme and welcome everyone to get involved, ask questions and importantly provide us with feedback.”
The proposed development is to be located on land adjoining the existing Dovesdale logistics and waste management complex. Viridor say the complex already has planning permission for an EfW plant. Subject to Viridor’s proposal receiving consent, the existing permission will be revoked.
Overwood ERF
Viridor says the Overwood ERF would create up to 55 full-time operational jobs, as well as 500 throughout its construction.
“The proposed Overwood Energy Recovery Facility is a state-of-the-art development that will play a vital role in diverting our everyday waste from landfill”
The proposed facility would be “very similar” to Viridor’s existing Dunbar EfW plant. This means it would be designed to be ‘combined heat and power enabled’, so that heat in the form of steam or hot water could be exported to other local users as future opportunities arise.
Viridor says its proposal is a “direct response” to the Scottish Government’s “zero waste” strategy and the forthcoming ban on the landfilling of food, paper, garden and any other biodegradable household waste by 2025.
The waste management company says a Proposal of Application Notice (PoAN) has been submitted to South Lanarkshire council to kickstart consultation programme. Virtual public exhibitions are to be held over the coming months, with the first virtual exhibition to be held online on 11 February 2021.
Following the consultation process, a planning application supported by an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be submitted to South Lanarkshire council in spring or summer 2021, Viridor says.
EfW
The proposal comes in the wake of several announcements from the EfW sector in the past week or so.
Investment company Low Carbon announced on 2 February that the £300 million EfW plant it is developing in Redcar on Teesside had received planning permission (see letsrecycle.com story).
On 29 January, Lostock Sustainable Energy Plant Ltd (LSEP) announced its intention to increase the capacity of its £480 million EfW facility, currently under construction in Lostock in Cheshire, by 128,000 tonnes of waste a year (see letsrecycle.com story).
And, Suez recycling and recovery UK said on 27 January it had signed a “long term contract” to supply residual waste to three proposed EfW plants operated by Wheelabrator Technologies (see letsrecycle.com story).
The proposed plant will be Viridor’s third in Scotland if it goes ahead, alongside plants in Dunbar and Glasgow. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency lists eight operational EfW plants in Scotland which process municipal waste, along with five biomass plants.
Related links
Viridor’s Overwood ERF website, including virtual tour of the Dunbar ERF
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