Artist's impression of the Lisburn gasification facility

Environment Minister for Northern Ireland Alex Attwood has granted planning permission to energy company Energos to build and run a new advanced thermal treatment facility in Lisburn.

The 80,000-tonne gasification facility, set to be built at the former Burn House Rendering facility in Lisburn, will process non-recyclable mixed waste from agriculture, industry, construction and demolition and municipal sources.

Through the gasification process, the facility will generate around seven megawatts (MW) of electricity – enough to power 17,000 homes – and with adequate pipelines, it could also provide heat (in the form of steam or hot water) to local industries and homes.

According to Energos, around 60 per cent of the electricity generated by the gasification process will be generated from biomass.

The renewable energy company claims that the process is ‘cleaner’ than incineration, as rather than burning non-recyclable waste, it converts it into a gas, which is then fully combusted to generate heat and electricity.

'Still a need for facilities to deal with waste that is not recyclable'

Speaking of the planning approval, Attwood said: “Whilst I am currently consulting on an ambitious 60 per cent target of waste being recycled by 2020, there is still a need for facilities to deal with waste that is not recyclable. This proposal achieves the right balance in planning terms, is good for the economy and a better option for the environment.

"This facility will provide a boost for the Lisburn area, creating construction jobs in the short term and permanent skilled jobs once completed. I am a firm supporter of energy-from-waste opportunities and of alternative, more environmentally-sustainable energy plans. This facility will deal with our waste, prevent landfill and create renewable energy.”

Nick Dawber, Managing Director of Energos, added: “This is an environmentally-responsible, community-sized solution for local waste that would otherwise fill up landfill sites and emit damaging greenhouse gases.

“Our technology has the flexibility to accept a variety of wastes to provide an adaptable resource that can cater for changing community requirements over the years. We look forward to working with partners to bring this project to fruition."

Energos currently operates eight small-scale gasification facilities in Europe, including the UK's ‘first and only’ operational advanced thermal conversion facility in the Isle of Wight.

The company is currently building its second UK gasification facility at Glasgow City Council's Recycling and Renewable Energy Centre and has been appointed technology provider for AmeyCespa's proposed Milton Keynes Waste Recovery Park.

Overcapacity

While largely considered environmentally preferable to mass-burn incineration, environmental campaigning groups believe that advanced thermal treatments like gasification and pyrolysis present similar drawbacks to incineration. A Friends of the Earth briefing on the technology points out that ‘gasification and pyrolysis share some of the same disadvantages as mass-burn incineration’ including: undermining recycling and composting by requiring certain recyclable materials, such as plastics and biomass, in their ideal feedstock; and contributing to climate change through carbon emissions.

What’s more, there is increasing concern that the UK will soon face (or indeed already has) residual waste treatment overcapacity. Waste management consultancy Eunomia’s latest report indicates that the UK is on track to see a 12 million tpa shortfall in the amount of waste needed to feed residual waste treatment plants, while the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) has warned that some EU states, including the UK, have the capacity to burn ‘more than the non-recyclable waste generated’.

Read more about Energos.