Waste wood powers new Plymouth energy centre 19 September 2011

A new energy centre, which will convert 40,000 tonnes of waste wood into renewable heat and power each year, is being built in Plymouth.

The centre is the brainchild of MITIE's asset management business, O-Gen UK and the Una Group, which have come together to form a new energy services company, O-Gen Plymtrek.

The plant will work by converting waste wood, destined for landfill, to a gas fuel that can be burned in a boiler to create steam. This steam will drive a turbine to produce the energy and heat, generating around 26,000MWh of electricity a year, according to Mike Tivey, managing director of MITIE's Asset Management Business.

The process also generates heat, he explains, saving around 10,000MWh of gas, and produces 1,836 tonnes of carbon each year, which can be used for a variety of purposes, including gas cleaning, water filtration and cooker hood filters.

Tivey also asserts that the plant will reduce CO2 emissions by around16,500 tonnes a year, compared to the equivalent grid supply.

"Generating energy from waste material is an important part of the fast-growing decentralised energy market, which provides organisations and communities with secure, locally generated power and heat for the future," he comments

The South West Regional Development Agency (SWERDA) has given a grant of £525,000 to the new energy centre, and the plant will create 23 local jobs once it is operational next summer – and 50 for contractors in the construction phase.

"This plant represents the first of a series of combined heat and power plants currently under discussion with MITIE across the South West region," states David Pike, managing director O-Gen UK.

Brian Tinham

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