Artist's Impression of PRR's Bradford Plant
Plans to build a combined heat and power plant (CHP) in Bradford were unanimously approved by Bradford Council’s Regulatory and Appeal Committee yesterday (November 1).
Submitted by sustainable company consortium Pennine Resource Recovery (PRR), the plans outline that a ‘resource recovery facility’, capable of processing 193,000 tonnes of material every year will reportedly divert 90 per cent of Bradford and Calderdale’s waste from landfill, improve recycling rates to over 50 per cent and produce 15 megawatts of electricity per year – enough energy to power the equivalent of 20,000 homes.
Built on the site of an existing waste transfer station on Bowling Back Lane, the facility will ‘mechanically extract valuable recyclable materials’ from household waste and incinerate all residual waste to generate energy and heat, which could be used to in local businesses and buildings. However, to date successful heat transfer from CHPs have been rare due to the disruption caused to lay adequate pipe networks.
Formed as part of a consortium comprising Skanska, FCC Environment and AECOM, PRR will see the plant designed, built and commissioned by Skanska and AECOM before being managed by FCC Environment once operational.
Commenting on the approval, Project Director for PRR, Mark Tribe, said: “Our project will bring great economic and environmental benefits to Bradford and Calderdale and we’re delighted councillors have recognised this.
“The resource recovery facility will ensure we deal with waste in a sustainable way and avoid sending it to environmentally damaging and increasingly costly landfill sites.
“The scheme has been specifically designed for the area and we will be working very closely with local training and employment agencies to ensure that local people across both districts are able to benefit from the employment and training opportunities on offer.”
PRR has said that the plant will create ‘significant economic benefits’ including generating 300 construction jobs, 80 permanent positions, 80 apprenticeships, work experience, contracts for local recycling companies and £30 million in construction contracts, as well as up to £50,000 in donations to a community fund.
Once finished, the CHP will include ‘a new visitor and education centre’ in an attempt to encourage visitors to ‘manage their waste more sustainably’.
Construction is set to begin in spring 2013, with completion expected by 2016.
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.