LSEP plans to increase capacity at Lostock EfW plant

LSEP plans to increase capacity at Lostock EfW plant
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LSEP (Lostock Sustainable Energy Plant) Ltd has revealed plans to increase the waste capacity of its EfW plant in Lostock, Cheshire.

The £480m facility is currently under construction at Lostock Works near Northwich. It is a joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partnership and FCC Environmental.

An application will be submitted to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), expected during Summer 2021, to vary the Section 36 consent to allow for more waste to be treated while remaining within the currently approved power generation capacity.

If approved, the facility will export 69.9MW of sustainable electricity to the grid using residual waste as a fuel whilst diverting 728,000 tonnes of waste away from landfill - an increase of 128,000 tonnes, generating enough electricity to power around 148,000 homes.

The process is regulated by the Environment Agency and will be required to meet strict emissions limits during commissioning and operational phases. The increased throughput will result in a higher number of vehicle movements with more flexible hours for waste deliveries. An environmental assessment will be undertaken as part of the application to vary the consent, looking at the potential environmental impact of the proposal including updated transport and air quality assessments.

A spokesperson from LSEP Ltd said: "The LSEP will address two major challenges - how to manage our waste more sustainably, moving it up the Waste Hierarchy, and how to generate sustainable energy from non fossil-fuel energy.

"The LSEP is currently under construction, the increase in treatment capacity will not alter the currently approved buildings or structures nor will it change the limits on our environmental emissions, but it will enable us to maximise the efficiency of the facility. 

"We're also looking at how heat from the facility could be supplied to local homes and industry through the development of a district heating network plus we are investigating the potential for electricity to be supplied directly to local businesses through private wire connections."

In the event that approval is granted, a community fund will be set up which will provide £100,000 a year for ten years to support environmental projects in the local area, totalling £1m. 

Feedstock, volumes and capacity are key issues for the waste to energy sector and these are being discussed at the Energy from Waste conference by top speakers from Tolvik, Suez and more, www.efwconference.com/programmePlus, more on the increasing importance of heat network delivery from EfW plants - hear from BEIS head of HNDU John Saunders alongside other top speakers from the sector. 

Book your place now: www.efwconference.com/book-now

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