Waste management and energy recovery company, Waste Recycling Group (WRG), has entered into an exclusivity agreement with chemical company Solutia UK Limited to build an Energy from Waste facility (EfW) on land at Solutia’s headquarters, off Corporation Road, Newport, South Wales, UK.

The proposal is in response to the requirements of Prosiect Gwyrdd (Project Green), which aims to provide the five local authorities of Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, Caerphilly, Newport and Monmouthshire with a solution to the long-term management of its municipal waste while reducing the reliance on landfill.

The Project has begun a procurement process, inviting private companies to bid for the contract, offering their own individual solutions to the problem. The complex process is expected to take two years, with Prosiect Gwyrdd discussing companies’ bids with them until the summer of 2011 before announcing a preferred bidder that autumn, and planning for the winning project beginning in 2012.

Modern EfW incineration is an essential part of sustainable waste and resource management strategies. Apart from helping the five councils to meet their waste management targets, the scheme will also offer benefits for the Government’s renewable energy and carbon reduction commitments.

EfW is a safe and effective way of diverting residual municipal waste from landfill and produces valuable and renewable energy by reducing the use of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and gas for generating power.

Modern, efficient EfW incineration is used extensively across Europe to meet the challenge of driving more value out of waste and resources. Waste policy at European level and in the UK supports the approach of setting high recycling rates together with the use of EfW incineration for the waste that remains after recycling. Currently, EfW plants in Europe can supply 12 million people with electricity and 11 million people with heat.

The scheme being considered by WRG has the potential for supporting a district heating system by using the steam created through the burning of the local municipal waste, and Solutia itself has expressed an interest in receiving electricity and steam generated by the plant once it is up and running.

Solutia has already installed two 2.5-megawatt wind turbines on the site as part of a plan to source its energy needs in ways which will reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and lower its carbon dioxide emissions, and has welcomed the WRG initiative.

“Anything which helps reduce our operating costs in this difficult economic climate will also clearly contribute to the security of employment on the site,” said a spokesperson. “So whilst it is still very early days, there are many good reasons for being excited about the potential of this project.”

WRG aims to submit a planning application in the summer of 2010 for the proposed facility, which would potentially be ready to start operation in 2014. WRG and Solutia are committed to ensuring that there will be full public consultation with local residents, statutory bodies and other interested groups.

Global building solutions provider CEMEX is forming a partnership with the Waste Recycling Group (WRG) to produce Climafuel, an renewable fuel derived from waste, for use in cement making at the Rugby cement plant.

Last year, CEMEX submitted applications for permission to build a Climafuel manufacturing plant either at Southam or Malpass Farm in Rugby. Should planning permission be granted by Warwickshire County Council (WCC) at one of these locations, CEMEX’s agreement with WRG means that the plant would be built and operated in partnership with WRG, and the resulting fuel supplied to the cement plant.

This is welcome news as UK MBT Plants are being built which will remain risky investments unless and until a market develops in Refuse Derived Fuel like this SRF. The aim ultimately will be to produce an SRF which will be saleable for use in any boiler, but the Waster understands that for now any SRF in the UK must be classed as a waste still – and that means that stringent Waste/Waste Incineration Directive type rules still apply to the emissions from any site which burns it.

As one of the UK’s leading waste management and energy recovery companies, WRG brings to the partnership the necessary expertise and experience in the manufacture of solid recovered fuel (SRF) from residual household, commercial and industrial waste. The Climafuel plant would utilise mechanical biological treatment (MBT) technology which is widely used in mainland Europe with over 80 operational facilities, mainly in Germany, Italy and Spain. Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC), the Spanish construction and services group and WRG’s parent company, brings a wealth of experience in implementing solutions utilising a range of MBT processes and technologies.

CEMEX has demonstrated the significant benefits the use of Climafuel provides in displacing traditional fossil fuels and reducing emissions. By diverting waste from landfill, the manufacture and use of Climafuel can also help local authorities to meet the stringent targets set by the European Union for reducing the volume of waste going to landfill. The use of Climafuel will further reduce the plant’s consumption of fossil fuels, such as coal, and thereby help to achieve climate change objectives.

If permission for such a plant is granted by WCC, it could make a significant contribution to the county achieving its landfill diversion targets.

Neville Roberts, CEMEX’s Technical Director, commented: “CEMEX had always planned to involve a waste management specialist in this project and in WRG we have one of the leaders in this activity in the UK and Europe. The use of Climafuel represents a ‘win-win’ situation and this new partnership will deliver tangible benefits environmentally and commercially.”

Andy Ryan, WRG’s Development Director, said: “WRG has a strong strategic focus on providing solutions for local authorities as they seek to reduce the amount of waste they send to landfill, as well as improving performance on waste minimisation, re-use and recycling.

“This partnership represents an important extension to our offering. Climafuel would be manufactured to CEMEX’s tight specifications and this will produce a solid, clean and non-hazardous alternative fuel which generates valuable energy from material that cannot otherwise be recycled.”