New London waste plant ‘to lead Europe’ on emissions

NLWA claims that plant to be built by 2025 will ‘set benchmark’ for air pollution emission reduction

A consortium of councils in North London has committed around £500 million in funding to develop a new waste treatment plant that it is claimed will be among the best performing in the continent for emissions of air pollutants.

The Edmonton EcoPark will be redeveloped by 2025

The North London Waste Authority, which comprises Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest councils, announced plans to redevelop its Edmonton energy from waste plant today (November 20).

The EcoPark EfW has been in operation since the early 1970s and is due to reach the end of its operational life by 2025.

At present maintaining control of emissions from the site is more challenging than at newer energy from waste plants, with more manual controls needed. NLWA intends for the plant to “set a benchmark” for similar projects in the UK and Europe on controlling emissions, and has set a target for it to come in around 60% below current permissible emissions limits of pollutants such as carbon monoxide, particulates and hydrogen chloride.

Redevelopment

Plans are in place for a new plant to be built on land adjacent to the existing EfW facility which currently houses a composting site and a waste transfer station. Once the new plant, which will have a similar capacity to the current facility, is fully operational, the old plant will be decommissioned.

Commenting on the plans, councillor Clyde Loakes, chair of the NLWA, said: “We are going to set the benchmark with this project: we want the best technology available when it comes to air quality, the best design available in terms of how it looks, and best of all, in my opinion, is we’re going to heat people’s homes for many years to come.

“This is planning ahead. This replacement facility will still be heating homes when young Prince George is in his 40s.”

The site is already earmarked for use as a waste management site by the Mayor of London and Enfield council, but due to the amount of energy it will generate NLWA must submit an application for a Development Consent Order to the Planning Inspectorate.

NLWA is due to launch the first of two public consultations on its plans for the future of the site from next week (November 27). The first phase of consultation will run until the end of January, and asks householders and businesses located close to the site for their views on how the new plant should be developed.

A second consultation will then run in May when more detailed plans will be outlined by the Authority.

Construction of the new plant is expected to begin in 2022 should the NLWA meet its proposed timetable.