Industry

Business in brief 13/02/2015

Shanks doubles size of Cumbernauld AD plant

Shanks doubles size of Cumbernauld AD plant

Waste management business Shanks Group plc, and its joint venture partner, Paragon Efficiencies, have announced that they are doubling the size of their Energen Biogas anaerobic digestion (AD) facility in Cumbernauld.

First opened in 2011, the facility is being expanded by 100 per cent in anticipation of the requirement for all local authorities in Scotland to separately collect food waste from non-rural householders from 1 January 2016.

Once the £5-million expansion is complete in April, the facility will be capable of processing just over 100,000 tonnes of food waste a year, generating up to 1,800 cubic metres of biogas per hour, enough to produce 4.8 megawatts of electricity.

As such, the plant will become Scotland’s largest AD facility.

Peter Eglinton, Managing Director of Shanks’s UK Municipal Division, said: “Organic waste is one of the most environmentally damaging forms of waste to be sent to landfill, so I am delighted that our Cumbernauld AD facility is continuing to reduce this burden on the environment by doubling the amount of this waste which it is able to process.”

Robert Etherson, Operations Director at Energen Biogas, added: “By expanding our facility we are able to significantly grow the renewables industry in Scotland and improve resource efficiency. Scotland’s vision where all waste is seen as a resource is one we are firmly aligned with and we are pleased we can contribute to making a zero-waste Scotland a reality.”

Find out more about the Cumbernauld AD facility.

SITA SRF plant to begin commissioning phase

SITA Ruby SRF facility begins commissioning phase
SITA's Climafuel SRF

Waste management company SITA UK has announced that is new solid recovered fuel (SRF) manufacturing plant, located at Malpass Farm in Rugby, will being its commissioning phase this week.

The plant sorts any recyclables from incoming residual waste (mainly from commercial and industrial sources), removes high-chlorine waste (which can damage the plant’s kiln), and sifts, shreds and blends the remaining material into a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) called ‘Climafuel’ to power the adjacent cement kiln operated by CEMEX.

The facility will utilise laser technology to ensure that the fuel, which has a confetti-like consistency, has the precise chemical composition and calorific value required by CEMEX.

SITA UK has said that the facility will undergo a series of commissioning tests over the next few months before starting full-scale production in July.

Andy Hill, Head of Alternative Fuels at SITA UK, commented: “The residual waste material that will be delivered to this facility would have gone to landfill but, instead, we are going to take out anything which can be recycled and then turn what’s left into a replacement fossil fuel – made to the exacting standards expected by our partners at CEMEX.”

SITA UK expects that the Rugby facility and its Birmingham SRF plant will produce around 250,000 tonnes of Climafuel a year. It is also investing in new SRF manufacturing facilities at the Port of Tilbury in Essex, which are currently under construction.

Find out more about SITA UK.

SLR Consulting appoints new ‘Carbon and Energy Management’ team

SLR creates new Carbon and Energy Management team
Julie Gartside

SLR Consulting has appointed carbon management specialist Julie Gartside to head up its new Carbon and Energy Management (C&EM) team, which will provide clients with support on carbon strategy and compliance, and support companies in reducing energy use and carbon emissions.

Gartside has 15 years’ experience in carbon strategy consultation, most recently at SKM Enviros (now Jacobs), and will be joined on the team by a number of former colleagues.

According to SLR, the new team has already secured a ‘significant project’ with techUK – a trade association representing the technology industry – to manage its Climate Change Agreement for data centres.

Alan Edwards, Managing Director of SLR Consulting Ltd (UK), commented: “Julie and her C&EM colleagues provide a great extension to our services to deliver value-added insight and solutions to clients.”

“A number of industry high-fliers have been attracted to SLR following recent corporate mergers among our competitors and, with ongoing consolidation in the market place, we believe that there will be an increasing number of opportunities for specialist providers of environmental consultancies services, both in terms of new recruits and new clients.”

Find out more about SLR Consulting.

Tamar Energy secures £32m from The Royal Bank of Scotland plc

Anaerobic digestion (AD) plant operator Tamar Energy has secured a £32-million non-recourse project finance facility from The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), said to be the first such financing facility in the AD industry.

The seven-year term facility will refinance Tamar Energy’s existing five AD plants and will be used to build the next wave of AD plants from Tamar Energy’s development pipeline.

Dean Hislop, Finance Director at Tamar Energy, said: “The RBS facility is a significant achievement for us, not only for being the first of its kind in the AD sector but also for its scale. It’s a sign of confidence in Tamar Energy’s business model from a leading UK bank and enables us to drive our business forward at pace.”

Sue Milton, Director of RBS, added: “This is a landmark transaction, and RBS is delighted to have worked with Tamar Energy's management team to provide the initial funding to support the company's growth ambitions.”

The deal was welcomed by Energy and Climate Change Minister Amber Rudd, who said that it was an “exciting moment for the industry”.

Find out more about Tamar Energy and RBS.

ERG appoints new Group Managing Director

ERG appoints Paul Gatcliffe as Group Managing Director
Paul Gatcliffe

Paul Gatcliffe has been appointed as Group Managing Director of Environmental Resource Group (ERG), effective from 1 February 2015.

Gatcliffe commenced his career with ERG in 2003, when he was appointed as the Business Development Director. After ‘demonstrating his passion and knowledge of the industry’, he was promoted to Managing Director of Chemtech Waste, the waste management division of the group, prior to this most recent appointment.

Aron James, CEO of ERG, stated: “Paul has been pivotal in the development and substantial growth of our business. His management style is hugely inclusive and he has a real passion for creating lasting and valuable relationships both with our staff and our clients. He’s exceptionally knowledgeable about the waste industry and keen to ensure that ERG makes a positive impact on our environment by diverting as much waste as possible into the circular economy.”

In conjunction, Andy Williams will take up a new role of Resource and Disposal Director to develop the group’s waste solutions.

According to ERG, the changes form part of an overall ‘consolidation strategy’ to amalgamate its individual divisions, including Chemtech Waste, Envirosol and Blendcheck, into a group structure.

Find out more about ERG.