A new energy centre which will convert 40,000 tonnes of waste wood into renewable heat and power each year and reduce carbon emissions is being created in Plymouth. 

The centre is the brainchild of MITIE’s Asset Management business, O-Gen UK and the Una Group. The companies have come together to form a new energy services company(ESCo),O-Gen Plymtrek, which is exploring opportunities to supply the energy from the plant to a local business. 

The plant will work by converting waste wood, destined for landfill, to a gas fuel which will be combusted in a boiler to create steam. This steam will drive a turbine to produce the energy and heat. It will generate around 26,000 MWh of electricity a year – enough to power 6200 homes or to make 866,666 cups of tea. The process also generates heat, saving around 10,000 MWh of gas and produces 1,836 tonnes of carbon each year, which can be used for a variety of things including gas cleaning, water filtration and cooker hood filters. 

The plant will reduce CO2 emissions by around16,500 tonnes a year compared to grid supply. 

Mike Tivey, Managing Director of MITIE’s Asset Management Business, said: “We are delighted to be developing this innovative energy plant which will bring new jobs to the local community in Plymouth.

“Generating energy from waste material is an important part of the fast-growing decentralised energy market, which provides organisations and communities with secure, locally generated power and heat for the future.” 

The South West Regional Development Agency (SWERDA) has given a grant of £525,000 to the new energy centre in recognition of the impact it will have on the local economy by creating jobs. The plant will create 23 local jobs once it is operational next summer and 50 for contractors in the construction phase. 

David Pike, Managing Director O-Gen UK, said “We are delighted to work with MITIE in the development and expansion of our timber resource recovery business. This plant represents the first of a series of combined heat and power plants currently under discussion with MITIE across the South West region.” 

MITIE’s Asset Management business will operate and maintain the plant, which uses technology provided by O-Gen UK, during a 10 year contract. The technology is eligible for the enhanced Government’s Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) as an advanced thermal conversion technology. 

The UK produces 4.5 million tonnes of waste wood a year.1 It is estimated that recovering energy from just 2 million tonnes of waste wood would generate 2,600 GWh electricity and save 1.15m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. 2 

-ENDS-

1 WRAP 2009 

2 Defra’s Waste Wood as a Biomass Fuel report, April 2008

Notes for editors

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