An investigation into the growth of Advanced Conversion Technology for thermal treatment of municipal and commercial & industrial wastes in the UK Keith Riley Vismundi

Just 3 Survivors! …and all supplied heat

First there were few….

….then they all came together!

The Development of UK Waste Treatment 1996 – 2014 Thanks to Partnerships UK Vismundi

UK waste Plants (2011 – 13) by technology and status CIWM President’s Report 2013- Ricardo AEA Vismundi

The 2014 Survey of ATT in the UK The UK Survey of Advanced Thermal Treatment of Waste 2014 Keith Riley November 2014 Vismundi

The 2014 Survey of ACT on the UK Around 90 Pyrolysis and Gasification Projects in the UK! The UK Survey of Advanced Thermal Treatment of Waste 2014 Keith Riley November 2014 Vismundi

Waste Incineration Directive Waste Framework Directive Landfill Directive Waste Incineration Directive Waste Framework Directive

The UK’s dwindling energy supply The Energy Gap

5GW to avoid power cuts Extract from Ofgem - Electricity security of supply. A commentary on National Grid’s Future Energy Scenarios for the next three winters. 17 July 2015 Vismundi

Why Gasification? Its not combustion, but it is still seen as Incineration. There have been some notable (high profile) failures: Thermoselect ABRE (not strictly waste) Isle of Wight Scotgen The waste has to be prepared – shredded as a minimum. Its is believed to have low efficiency It is more complex and therefore probably less robust than combustion Vismundi

…because it has some big advantages It is not combustion. It gives PR opportunities and easier planning permission – but is actually not the case. Greater flexibility – the syngas can be used in various ways – even to make secondary products. Has a higher efficiency potential than combustion – as it allows a change in the thermal cycle eg. Rankine to Carnot. Waste pre-treatment is required anyway under Waste Framework Directive and this enables the waste management hierarchy to be followed. Potentially lower NOx due to low excess air In the UK it attracts an incentive ! Vismundi

Renewables Obligation Technology Banding For generation, Pyrolysis & Gasification receives 2 x ROC (less regression) COMBUSTION RECEIVES NOTHING!

Renewables Obligation Certificates Scheme ends 31 March 2017 Drop dead date 31 March 2018

Electricity Market Reform 2014 capcity auction: 2 EfW with CHP 3 Gasification Plants Vismundi

The CfD ?

Across UK, landfill tax paid on about 21 million at the standard rate

Export of waste from England July 2010 – January 2015 Thanks to CIWM

How much energy? Say about 2 GW. Average CV untreated waste is 9.5 GJ/t Energy available = 21,000,000 x 9.5 = 19.9 x 10 7 GJ = 52,700,000 MWh   If the average efficiency of a plant is 26% and availability of the plants is 85% - ie operate for 7560 hours per year - then maximum power production is : 52,700,000/7450 x 0.26 = 1812 MW Say about 2 GW.

The Drivers now for EfW in the UK Waste Economics – Landfill tax is at £82.60, coupled with reducing availability of landfills is putting pressure on waste collector costs and there is still around 21 million tonnes pa going to landfill. RDF export is an alternative competitor, but it is proving to be more difficult than people thought – and is unlikely to exceed 3.5 million tonnes pa. EfW is price competitive with landfill and export; the question now is that if incentives disappear, will the growth in gasification continue?. Energy prices are currently low, but the UK needs more generation, and being an island, supply cannot be easily imported – so energy prices will rise no matter what. Gasification has higher development potential than combustion, but that potential has still to be achieved. EfW cannot solve the energy gap, but it is baseload generation and there is almost 2GW potential How the future will unravel is not certain, nor is whether the growth in gasification will continue; but without doubt, energy recovery from waste will be part of it.

Thank you for listening EfW Plant No Energy! No Landfill! Thank you for listening