London to get four new waste to energy plantsSource
London Development Agency
10 September, 2007

Four new recycling and reprocessing plants will be developed in London to turn waste into renewable energy as part of the Mayor's Waste Strategy. The London Climate Change Agency - part of the London Development Agency - will work with London Remade to identify waste projects across London and help to develop the infrastructure to produce renewable fuels which can be used to supply buildings and transport.

The £225,000 project will also help deliver the aims of the Mayor’s Climate Change Action Plan to reduce London’s carbon footprint. The Action Plan sets the target of reducing London’s carbon emissions by 60per cent by 2025 - 25 years ahead of central Government’s target. Energy from waste and biomass provides a huge opportunity for London. If all of London’s waste that cannot be recycled and currently goes to landfill were used to generate energy, it could generate enough electricity for up to two million homes and heat for up to 625,000 homes.

The Mayor’s London Plan promotes the use of non-incineration based advanced technologies such as anaerobic digestion, which is a process where organic waste is turned into renewable gas and gasification, which uses heat to make materials like wood and paper into renewable gas. These technologies can be used to provide low carbon fuels for low and zero carbon developments and for transport.

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said; ‘This is an important first step in developing what could become a major tool in our struggle to prevent catastrophic climate change. To achieve the sort of carbon emission cuts that are necessary in London we have to move from a society based on huge waste of energy, to one that finds every available method to create energy without adding to carbon emissions. Extracting energy from our rubbish, rather than simply dumping it in landfill sites or burning it, is a perfect example.’

London Climate Change Agency Chief executive Officer Allan Jones said: ‘This is only just the start of a programme of work that could see a renewable energy system developed from London’s own renewable energy resources which would otherwise have been landfilled or incinerated.’

Daniel Silverstone, Chief Executive of London Remade said: “Attracting investment in new and clean technologies to turn waste into renewable energy provides the perfect solution to dealing with London’s domestic and commercial waste. We believe the capital needs £4 billion investment in its waste management infrastructure if it is to meet the Mayor’s target of managing 85 per cent of its waste by 2020. The LDA funding is a positive step in helping us to achieve this goal.”

At least one facility will be brought to financial close by September 2008 under the terms of the LDA funding.

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