Jan 28 2011
A Biomass combined heat and power (CHP) plant has been proposed in Kent in England by Evonik New Energies UK and HES Biopower.
Both these companies have formed Biomass Plant Ridham, which is a joint venture company and plan to develop the facility on Ridham Dock industrial land, which would supply 25 MW of power to the public grid and also sell 35 MW of steam to would be users on site. The plant would utilize around 160,000 metric tons of non-recyclable waste wood sources from the region that would otherwise go for landfills. According to Evonik, every year 6.6 million tons of non-recyclable waste wood is produced in the UK and 110,000 tons by Kent. UK has a renewable energy target of 15% by 2020 and the government is offering multiple incentives such as renewable certificates and feed-in-tariffs in support of new technologies for generating energy.
The project if granted approval would facilitate the creation of 30 permanent jobs along with many more temporary construction jobs and jobs via contracts for materials and service. Partnerships with local businesses would enhance the long term economic development and stability in the area. Evonik’s Project Manager, Juergen Kirsch, stated that this project would support the area by land diversion and meet renewable energy targets of Evonik and its partner HES Biopower. The partnership venture is currently conducting a consultation and information process for ensuring local businesses, groups and residents are informed and also educating them and involving them in the planning stage. The consultation also involves newsletters, public exhibitions and presentations. The application has been submitted to the Kent County Council by the companies and a decision is expected during the year.