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Waste treatment generates (green) energy Project - Rivenhall: a greater energy yield from the same amount of waste
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ndaver is building a new waste-toenergy plant in Essex (south-east England). At 600 million pounds, the Rivenhall Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF) is Indaver’s biggest investment project yet. Rivenhall IWMF will treat 595,000 tonnes of non-recyclable household waste and similar commercial waste each year.
State-of-the-art With the treatment of this waste, the energy-from-waste plant will supply households in the immediate vicinity with electricity. Indaver is also investing in a very efficient and innovative turbine. With higher steam parameters, higher pressure and temperature, we can recover even more energy from the same amount of waste. We can use every available joule of energy with this state-of-the-art technology. The new facility will provide 65 people with full-time employment. Investing in the Environment In 2021, construction commenced on the Rivenhall IWMF, expected to become operational in 2025. Given Essex’s flat topography, the facility will be discreetly integrated into the ground to minimize visual impact. To achieve this, approximately three million tonnes of soil were excavated. A portion of this soil was utilized to remediate the adjacent quarry. Moreover, we undertook remediation efforts for the lagoon and constructed an access road and a car park. Additionally, we are
renovating Woodhouse Farm, a (17th-century farmhouse) derelict area, to restore it for the community. Visitors are currently welcomed at the Information Hub on our site, where they can observe the construction progress of the IWMF from the balcony.
OUTLOOK Indaver is looking into the possibility of building a pre-treatment plant on the Rivenhall site, for treating bulky waste. This facility would be able to dismantle sofas and other large items that are not suitable for recycling and treat them thermally with energy recovery. > www.rivenhall-iwmf.co.uk
ROYAL VISIT On 12 May 2022, Princess Astrid of Belgium gave the official sign for construction of the Rivenhall IWMF energy centre to start when she opened the local information centre. This formal opening was part of the program of one of the most significant Belgian trade delegations ever to the United Kingdom. The delegation consisted of over 210 companies and organizations, including sector federations, universities, and chambers of commerce, with a total of more than 400 participants. Also in attendance were Flemish Minister-President Jan Jambon, Federal Minister of Energy Tinne Van der Straeten, Walloon Minister of Energy and Foreign Trade Willy Borsus, Flemish Minister of Economy Hilde Crevits, and Brussels State Secretary for Foreign Trade Pascal Smet.