Kedco secures permission for 12MW biomass plant

Monday, Sep 06, 2010

Irish renewable energy firm Kedco has received planning permission to develop a 12MW waste wood biomass-gasification facility at a site in Enfield, North London.

Permission for the platn, which the company expects to cost £45 million to develop, was granted earlier this week (August 31) by Enfield council. The planning approval means that Kedco can now begin securing funding for the plant.

The facility is expected to be able to treat up to 60,000 tonnes-a-year of waste wood from the construction and demolition sectors once it becomes operational, producing 12MW of electricity and 10MW of heat.

And, the company has already agreed a 10-year feedstock agreement with an unnamed local waste operator. According to documents published by the Greater London Authority, the waste wood will be sourced from sites within a five mile radius of the proposed Enfield site.

Kedco is currently in discussions with two potential purchasers for heat produced from the Enfield site. And, the ability to convert waste wood to feedstock on site is said to help cut down the number of lorry movements needed around the Enfield site.

Commenting on the approval, Donal Buckley, chief executive of Kedco, said: "We believe that the biomass clean-tech sector is currently at the same stage as the wind industry was five years ago. This represents an enormous opportunity for growth for Kedco."

He added: "We believe that the granting of this consent shows the commitment of the Greater London Authority and Enfield council to the biomass sector within London."

In addition, the Irish company said it has received notification from the Greater London Authority that they will not refuse planning consent for the gasification plant.

Source: NewEnergyFocus