To meet the country’s net zero targets, we need to not just use less energy and decarbonise industrial sites but also find alternative ways of generating electricity to move away from traditional fossil fuels.
One of the organisations which has been at the forefront of this is Kent Enviropower.
We went along to find out more about the plant.
Owned and operated by FCC Environment, a leading waste and resource management company, Kent Enviropower’s Energy from Waste plant at Allington recovers energy from non-hazardous waste streams.
And on an incredible scale!
The Energy from Waste section of the facility can process up to 550,000 tonnes of suitable waste per year, generating up to 263 million kilowatts of electricity every year.
The equivalent fuel that would be required to generate this power is 200,000 tonnes of coal or a super tanker of oil.
The energy converted is used to light and heat up to 60,000 homes across the UK.
And it is from stuff we throw away.
It was hard not to be impressed by the scale of operations, the innovative techniques used to reduce emissions and the efficiency of the organisation’s processes.
The site has created around 100 permanent jobs.
Kent Enviropower offers work experience opportunities to local schools and recruits two or three level 3 Maintenance and Operations Engineering Technician apprentices every year.
Tony Stanbridge, General Manager, said: “We need to educate and inspire young people around the wide range of opportunities in energy production including waste to energy, as processes such as this also have a role to play in the energy transition.
“And there are real opportunities to get involved.”
FCC Environment is keen to share information on its work and offers tours of the facility to schools, further education organisations, industry professionals and other interested parties
Allington Waste Treatment Facility tipping hall.
Allington Waste Treatment Facility weighbridge
ECITB team at Allington Waste Management Facility