Residual Waste EFW
Residual Waste can be used as a feedstock for Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities and Residual Waste is considered as partially renewable or a low carbon energy source as a result of the energy produced from the fraction of Residual Waste derived from Biomass that is considered renewable[1].
Operational EfW
The following list summarizes all EfW sites that were operational as of January 2020, with limited summary information in the table. More detailed information can be found by clicking through to the site-specific page:
Summary site information collated from a variety of sources including: Monksleigh[2], Tolvik[3], EA, SEPA, NRW, DEFRA, BEIS and owner and developer websites.
ID item 3 has multiple line entries - the capacity of all entries is shown once in the first line, consolidating the later ones and resulting in a 0 entry for those consolidated.
The map, right, contains the locations of all the sites listed above - please note that due to scale and cartographic limitations some of the numbers in the list might not be shown on the map due to sites being in close proximity, or sites in areas of high density. This does not mean that the site marker is not there. An example of this is Ferrybridge as both FM1 & FM2 are in geographically similar locations, a few 100m apart, and as a result the location markers will appear on top of each other, and as a result one will block the other's numerical id. This also applies to the following maps on sites in construction and planning.
Growth in Residual Waste EfW
Historically, the UK has been very dependent on Landfill or Incineration without energy recovery for Disposal of Residual Waste. The landfill diversion targets set in the mid 1990s promoted EfW developments. The diversion of residual waste away from Landfill and into EfW processes reduces emissions of methane and pollution originating from Landfill sites and increases production of renewable energy[1]. Energy from Waste is the now the main method for dealing with Residual Waste, with Landfill of Residual Waste being the least preferred method, as outlined in the Waste Hierarchy[1].
In 2018, the amount of residual waste that was sent to EfW processes in the UK increased by 5.6%, amounting to a total of 11.5 million tonnes being sent to 42 operational EfW facilities across the UK[4]. This represents 41.8% of the total residual waste produced in the UK in 2018 (increasing from 39.5% in 2017)[4]. The total power generated from EfW facilities in 2018 was 6,153 GWh, this supplied 1.9% of the total UK power generation, and gives an average of 536 kWh of power generated per tonne of residual waste treated at UK EfW facilities[4]. The graph below displays how the tonnage of residual waste processes by UK EfW facilities has changed over recent years, and excludes sites reported as operational in the previous section that were commissioned in 2019 and early 2020.
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| Year | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Tonnes | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 5.5 | 6.7 | 8.4 | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.5 |
The table below shows the power and heat generation from residual waste EfW facilities in the UK between 2014-2018.[4]
| Year | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Net Power Export (GWhe) | 3,368 | 4,636 | 5,241 | 6,187 | 6,153 |
| Net Heat Export (GWhth) | NA | 554 | 730 | 865 | 1,112 |
England produced 12.5 million tonnes of Residual Waste from Households in 2016[5], and it is estimated that there will be an increase in EfW capacity for Residual Waste by 2 million tonnes/year by 2022 [6].
With the increasing social, economic and political drive to Prevent, Reuse and Recycle more waste, in line with the Waste Hierarchy and the Circular Economy the amount of Residual Waste is expected to decrease in the medium to long term[1]. The exact magnitude of this reduction and the Residual Waste continuing to need to be delivered to EfW has been debated at length by different commentators over the last few years.
Under Construction EfW
The following list summarizes all EfW sites that were under construction January 2020, with limited summary information in the table and more detailed information by clicking through to the site-specific page . Historically there have been some plants that have not passed from construction to operation due to commissioning issues and are not listed i.e. Air Products. Several of the plants listed below that are presently in extended commissioning are based on Gasification technologies, but no comment is made as to whether they will reach full operational capacity.
In addition there are some plants below which are reported as commencing construction, but this only applied to initial works or the construction of adjacent infrastructure, and not the EfW element of the project. The sites that fall into this category (i.e. the EfW is not thought to be under construction) in the list below include ID numbers 53, 59, 60, 63, 65, and 68.
| ID | Site Name | Capacity (kt)
|
|---|---|---|
| 45. | North London Heat and Power (Edmonton EcoPark Replacement) | 700 |
| 46. | Lostock Sustainable Energy Plant | 600 |
| 62. | Showground Road | 105 |
| 69. | Riverside Energy Park (REP) | 650 |
| 70. | Rivenhall EFW | 595 |
| 72. | Protos EFW | 400 |
| 75. | Slough Multifuel EFW | 480 |
| 76. | Walsall Energy Recovery Facility | 478 |
| 83. | Binn Eco Park EFW | 85 |
| 95. | Drakelow Renewable Energy Centre | 169 |
| 127. | South Clyde Energy Centre, Bogmoor Road, Glasgow | 385 |
| 144. | Drumgray Energy Recovery Centre (DERC) | 300 |
| 146. | Kelvin Energy Recovery Facility | 400 |
| 170. | Oldhall EfW Plant | 180 |
| 178. | Skelton Grange EfW Plant | 435 |
| 184. | Westfield EfW Plant | 240 |
| 216. | Advanced Biofuel Solutions | 8 |
Summary site information collated from a variety of sources including: Monksleigh[2], Tolvik[3], EA, SEPA, NRW, DEFRA, BEIS and owner and developer websites
In Planning EfW
The following list summarizes all EfW sites that were in the planning process as at January 2020, with summary capacity shown in the table. In some cases planned capacity replaces existing sites, and no comment or note is made on those plants whose planning consent may have expired due to not being implemented within consented time limits, or the likelihood of them moving from this stage into construction.
| ID | Site Name | Capacity (kt)
|
|---|---|---|
| 53. | Enviroparks Hirwaun Generation Site | 250 |
| 59. | Bulwell Energy | 160 |
| 60. | Coatbridge Renewable Energy Facility | 204 |
| 65. | Swindon Energy Plant | 70 |
| 71. | North Beck Energy Centre | 560 |
| 77. | Houghton Main | 260 |
| 82. | Bilsthorpe Energy Centre | 96 |
| 84. | Bloomfield Recycling Depot (Re-submission) | 180 |
| 86. | The 3Rs Bradford | 160 |
| 87. | Gretton Brook Road, Corby | 154 |
| 92. | Clydach Refinery | 103 |
| 93. | Cornwall Bio Park (Redruth) | 80 |
| 94. | Derwenthaugh Ecoparc (resubmission) | 90 |
| 97. | Eastleigh | 120 |
| 98. | Eastcroft EfW (3rd Line) | 140 |
| 100. | Finmere Quarry | 60 |
| 101. | Fleetwood Energy Centre | 80 |
| 102. | Keighley EfW Plant, Former Gas Works, Aire Valley Road | 100 |
| 103. | Rotherham Renewable Energy Centre (Former Templeborough Steel Works) | 215 |
| 104. | Fort Industrial Park (Castle Bromwich) | 105 |
| 105. | Hams Hall National Distribution Park | 150 |
| 106. | Hangmans Lane | 50 |
| 108. | Killoch Depot | 160 |
| 109. | Kingmoor Park | 250 |
| 110. | Kingspan Insulation | 240 |
| 111. | Knowsley ERF | 80 |
| 112. | Land to the South of Knapton Quarry Landfill Site | 110 |
| 113. | Levenseat EfW Phase 2 | 315 |
| 117. | Melton Waste Park/Solar 21 EfW plant | 250 |
| 118. | Moody Lane (Former Acordis site) Resubmission | 170 |
| 120. | Northacre RRC | 243 |
| 122. | Peterborough Energy Park (Green Energy Parks - Gasification) | 350 |
| 124. | Pond Green Energy Park | 80 |
| 128. | Southmoor Energy Centre | 350 |
| 130. | Greengate EfW Plant | 330 |
| 131. | Thames Gateway EfW (Resubmission) | 200 |
| 132. | The 3Rs Doncaster | 350 |
| 134. | Uskmouth Power Station (Subcoal) | 450 |
| 136. | Washwood Heath (resubmission) | 128 |
| 138. | Corby Energy Recovery Centre | 357 |
| 139. | Tilbury Docks - Phase 2 (EfW) | 350 |
| 141. | Garden of England Energy | 104 |
| 142. | Haverton Hill (line 6) | 200 |
| 145. | Keypoint Industrial Estate | 150 |
| 147. | Darwen Energy Recovery Plant | 500 |
| 150. | Medworth EFW CHP | 626 |
| 152. | Thainstone Inverurie Energy Park ERF | 240 |
| 154. | 3Rs EfW Plant, Horsham | 180 |
| 155. | Boston Alternative Energy Facility | 1000 |
| 159. | Chiltern Green Energy Park | 500 |
| 161. | Envirofusion EfW Plant (Alfreton) | 5 |
| 162. | EP South Humber Bank Energy Centre | 750 |
| 163. | Grundon Circular Technology Park | 275 |
| 167. | Hay Hall Bio Power | 277 |
| 171. | Llynfi Biomass Power | 300 |
| 172. | Longridge Road Energy Centre (Preston) | 395 |
| 176. | Protos (Bio-Sustainable Natural Gas) Plot 4 | 175 |
| 177. | Redcar EfW Plant (South Tees) | 350 |
| 181. | Swansea EfW plant | 30 |
| 189. | Trostrey Court Farm Barns Clytha Road Trostrey Common Gwehelog (Usk) | 42 |
| 191. | Bandeath Industrial Estate, Throsk | 60 |
| 192. | Hill Barton Business Park | 88 |
| 193. | Magnetic Park Energy Centre | 96 |
| 199. | Hightown Quarry EFW | 211 |
| 200. | North Hampshire (Alton) | 330 |
| 202. | East Midlands Energy Re-Generation Centre (EMERGE) | 500 |
| 203. | Immingham | 600 |
| 207. | Energy and Resource Park, Kidderminister | 75 |
| 208. | Eco Park EFW (Parley) | 50 |
| 213. | South Tees Development Corportation/Redcar EFW | 450 |
| 215. | Teeside Renewable Energy Plant | 333 |
| 217. | Billingham Reach | 375 |
| 220. | Berry Lane ERC/Reading Quarry | 150 |
| 221. | New Road Billingham EFW | 200 |
| 222. | Graythorp Energy Centre | 560 |
| 230. | Thornton ERC | 120 |
| 231. | Medway Energy Hub | 400 |
| 232. | Plymouth EfW Facility | 60 |
| 233. | Immingham Railfreight Terminal | 320 |
Summary site information collated from a variety of sources including: Monksleigh[2], Tolvik[3], EA, SEPA, NRW, DEFRA, BEIS and owner and developer websites
Income Economics (Overview)
The income for an EFW facility is secured from the following main sources:
- Gate Fee - secured via a Fuel Supply Agreement or FSA
- Electrical power exported - secured via a Power Purchase Agreement or PPA
- Any subsidies for renewable power generation (primarily CFD or ROC for electrical power and RHI for heat)
- Heat/steam exported (if CHP/relevant)
- PRN (if a registered R1 facility)
Gate Fees
Gate Fee is typically between 50 to 70% of the income received and so is a key component of the overall income to a project, and is influenced by a number of factors. WRAP publish an annual report[7] on Gate Fees for different waste facilities and the factors influencing them. The table below summarizes the gate fees reported in 2018, the following two graphs show the range of Gate Fee over time, and the table at the end shows the factors influencing Gate Fee as reported by interviews with respondents as part of the report process:
| Type of ERF | Responses | Median | Mode[8] | Range[9] | No. of Gate Fees Reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | All | £89 | £85 - £90 | £44 - £125 | 68 |
| Pre-year 2000 | All responses | £65 | £65 - £70 | £44 - £89 | 20 |
| Pre-year 2000 | With contracts | £66 | £65 - £70 | £44 - £89 | 16 |
| Pre-year 2000 | Without contracts | £54 | £45 - £50 | £47 - £81 | 4 |
| Post-year 2000 | All responses | £93 | £85 - £90 | £50 - £121 | 45 |
| Post-year 2000 | With contracts | £92 | £85 - £90 | £50 - £121 | 42 |
| Post-year 2000 | Without contracts | £93 | £90 - £95 | £92 - £110 | 3 |
| Influencing Factor | Number of Responses (2018) | % (2018) | Number of Responses (Future) | % (Future) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inflation (RPI, RPIX) | 40 | 63% | 30 | 46% |
| Availability of capacity (i.e. supply/demand) | 32 | 51% | 35 | 54% |
| Operating costs | 28 | 44% | 25 | 38% |
| Competition between similar facilities (also a supply/demand issue) | 16 | 25% | 25 | 38% |
| Legislative requirements (i.e. changes to BAT) | 16 | 25% | 28 | 43% |
| Contractual changes, other than inflation increase | 15 | 24% | 7 | 11% |
| Investment/capital costs (i.e. new plants vs older plants with capital repaid/refinanced) | 15 | 24% | 11 | 17% |
| Other | 12 | 19% | 8 | 12% |
| Cost of landfilling residues (i.e. disposal of ash not recycled) | 10 | 16% | 7 | 11% |
| Product/commodity end market prices (i.e. value of electricity) | 10 | 16% | 10 | 15% |
| Competition from alternative treatment options | 8 | 13% | 16 | 25% |
| Competition from foreign incinerators/ERF | 5 | 8% | 4 | 6% |
| Government incentive schemes e.g. renewables (i.e. CFD) | 4 | 6% | 8 | 12% |
| Quality of input materials (i.e. fuel/waste specification) | 3 | 5% | 8 | 12% |
| Cost of recycling residues (i.e. metals from bottom ash) | 2 | 3% | 5 | 8% |
The WRAP report[7] focuses on local authority customers, where 71% of contracts were PFI/PPP contracts of duration of 20 years or more. The emphasis on the factors on Gate Fees for shorter term contracts, and contracts that rely more heavily on Commercial and Industrial Waste and different types of Waste Derived Fuel will be different. The most significant issues/emphasis, if interviewed, would likely to be supply/demand at the time of committing to a contract (typically much shorter in duration) and the fuel specification/Waste Derived Fuel specification - the more processing the fuel requires to meet the EfW plant input specification, the lower the Gate Fee that can be secured (primarily as the Gate Fee has to acknowledge the additional processing cost required to meet that specification).
Electrical Power Income
Income from the export of electricity makes up the majority of the income other than Gate Fee, although this can be more heavily influenced by projects with any subsidies for renewable power (i.e. ROC and CFD). The PPA comprises different elements of payment, but the principle payment is related to baseload power, the value of which fluctuates in the market. PPAs therefore are normally a balance between optimizing price per Megawatt-hour (normally as a percentage of baseload price) while managing downside risk, over the period of the contract. Hence a project with 15MWe export operating over 8,000 hours a year would have 120,000 Megawatt-hours a year at the baseload price. The variation in baseload price can be seen in the following graph from Ofgem[10]:
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Defra, 2014. Energy from Waste: A guide to the debate February 2014 (revised edition). London.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Monksleigh Ltd
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Tolvik
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Derived from Tolvik Consulting, 2019. UK Energy from Waste Statistics – 2018. Gloucestershire.[online]
- ↑ DEFRA UK Statistics on Waste 2020
- ↑ Tolvik Consulting, 2017. UK Residual Waste: 2030 Market Review. Environmental Services Association.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 WRAP Gate Fee Report 2019
- ↑ Mode is the gate fee range (in £5 increments) which received the most responses in the survey data.
- ↑ Range lists simply the range between the maximum and minimum data points in the survey data collected.
- ↑ Ofgem Wholesale Electricity Charts