Lerwick Energy Recovery Plant
The Lerwick Energy Recovery Plant (also known as Shetland EFW) is a standard combustion plant was built for the Shetlands Islands Council and is located at Greenhead, Lerwick with a capacity of 23,000 tonnes per year.
The facility is operated by Shetland Heat Energy & Power Ltd (SHEAP) providing heat and hot water for the Lerwick District Heating System[1] [2].
Site Details
| Operator | Shetland Heat Energy & Power (SHEAP) |
|---|---|
| Site | Lerwick Energy Recovery Plant |
| Size | Small |
| Permit No | PPC/A/1003141 |
| Plated Capacity | 24 |
| Status | Operational |
Plant Description
The plant has a standard combustion approach with a single line of a traditional moving grate technology[1].
The thermal efficiency of the plant in terms of heat recovered is 80%. The capital cost of the plant was approximately £10m and the district heating network a further £11.5m.
The cost of installing the heat exchangers per property to allow the heat to be used was between £2,000-£5,000.[5].
The hot water created from the plant is used to heat approximately 1,230 domestic properties, commercial and public buildings around Lerwick including schools, care homes, the leisure centre and hospital[4] and distributed around the town via insulated pipes.
History
The facility has been operating in Shetland since 2000 burning predominantly Household, Commercial and Industrial wastes from Shetland, Orkney and areas of the Highlands and is one of the smallest of all the Local Authority Energy from Waste plants currently operating in the UK.
The plant underwent major refurbishment works in 2021[2][3].
