Planned energy from waste facility secures development consent

Proposals for a new Humber region energy from waste plant have been granted development consent by the government’s Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park, which is planned for Flixborough Industrial Estate near Scunthorpe, will consist of an Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) which will generate power by converting up to 650,000 tonnes of Refuse Derived Fuel per year.

Batteries will be used to store electricity to balance supply and demand.

Green energy business Solar 21 says the scheme next to the River Trent could generate enough low carbon power for 221,000 homes each year, create up to 257 jobs locally and another 600 jobs during the construction phase.

It adds the facility would also prevent up to 760,000 tonnes of waste ending up in landfill or being exported and stop up to 150,000 tonnes of of CO2 being released from landfill.

Ash produced by the energy recovery process will be used on site to make concrete blocks which can be used in the construction industry.

There will also be a plastic recycling facility, which is expected to process 20,000 tonnes of plastic each year.

Solar 21 states: “The UK has set legally binding targets to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, which will require huge transformations in the way we heat our homes, power our industries and travel around the country.

“Carbon capture, storage and utilisation will need to be part of the strategy to achieve net zero carbon within 30 years.

“The need for a new approach is especially urgent in the Humber, where industry currently releases more carbon into the atmosphere than anywhere else in England, and where millions of tonnes of waste go to landfill every year.

“The North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park will help meet these challenges while fulfilling a vital public service and furthering the country’s green revolution.”