From the category archives:
News
Whites Renewable Energy is preparing to submit a planning application for permission to transform an area of the former Tate & Lyle Citric Acid Plant in Selby and create one of the UK’s leading renewable energy plants. The project, named Selby Renewable Energy Park, plans to use the latest anaerobic digestion technology to generate clean, renewable energy from organic material.
The £20 million project will create 120 new jobs for the town, 40 directly and an additional 80 jobs indirectly. The project will also generate enough clean, renewable energy to power 10,800 homes for a year (or the whole of Selby). The plant, which will occupy eight acres of the former Tate & Lyle Citric Acid Plant in the south of the town, will also provide a potential low cost heat source for use by local businesses. An anaerobic digester already exists on the site which is currently being updated and the proposal is to build two new anaerobic digesters. All the clean renewable electricity generated would be sent via the site’s existing power connection to the National Grid.
Whites Renewable Energy are currently consulting with the local community to take into consideration their views on the proposed redevelopment of the site. The initial response from community representatives has been very positive. The proposal has already won the support of the government backed WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Program) and Future Energy Yorkshire, which is the organisation set up to help promote renewable energy projects in Yorkshire and Humber.
According to DEFRA’s (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Waste Strategy Report published in May 2007, the Government wishes to encourage local authorities and businesses to consider using anaerobic digestion as the preferred technology for treating organic waste in the UK, as it has significant benefits over other technologies in the treatment of food waste. The process has already become very popular across Europe in countries like Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark and is now the fastest growing renewable technology in Germany, which has the largest number of anaerobic digesters in Europe.
The process of anaerobic digestion occurs when organic material is broken down by micro-organisms in a sealed environment without oxygen present. The process produces a biogas which can be used to power a combined heat and power plant (CHP) to generate clean, renewable electricity and heat.
In addition to generating a renewable, very low carbon fuel, anaerobic digestion also produces a high nutrient, bio-fertiliser that is a high quality substitute for chemical fertilisers on agricultural land.
David Balderson from Selby Renewable Energy Park comments:
“Anaerobic Digestion is widely recognised by the government, DEFRA and Friends of the Earth as one of the best solutions for disposing of organic waste. Everyone wins as the waste is treated in a sealed process reducing the generation of greenhouse gases and carbon emissions; a clean, renewable fuel is produced which can be used to create electricity and heat; and we are returning a green, sustainable fertiliser to the land which will in turn grow our crops for food. Another big advantage is that we are using a sustainable energy source that does not compete with food production, unlike other biofuels.
“The site at Selby is ideal as it is well connected to the local motorway network via Selby bypass, it already has an anaerobic digester and a connection to the National Grid . This project will provide a significant boost to the local economy by creating jobs and will also make available a cheap non fossil fuel heat source that will attract businesses to the area.”
In August 2008, Joan Ruddock, then Minister for Waste visited an anaerobic digestion plant in Ludlow which is part of Defra’s New Technologies Demonstrator Programme to test technology that could offer alternatives to landfill. Following her visit she said:
“Anaerobic digestion is extremely attractive. Why would we go on throwing food waste into holes in the ground when we could generate our own electricity and end up with a product that can be returned to the soil?”
Jo Adlard, Project Manager with Future Energy Yorkshire, part of Yorkshire Forward comments:
“The Yorkshire and Humber region has an important role to play in helping the UK to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed Selby Renewable Energy Park will contribute to our regional emissions reduction targets by generating renewable energy for export to the Grid, while diverting large quantities of waste from landfill.”
Whites Recycling and Waste Management Solutions are pleased to reveal our new website.
Shaun Flynn, Business Development Manager, said of the new site
“A good presence on the World Wide Web is an essential part of business today. We know with this site our customers and colleagues are going to find it much easier to keep up to date with our news, how we can help, and new services and facilities as they come online.”