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Hull waste energy plant raises £19.9m grant

A Hull-based renewable energy power plant has secured a £19.9m grant from the European Regional Development Fund (EDRF).

The plant, which is called Energy Works, will use renewable energy technologies such as fluidised bed gasification, in-vessel composting and anaerobic digestion, to produce power for 25,000 homes.

Energy Works was visited by Communities Minister, Baroness Hanham CBE on Thursday, where she revealed the grant, which was managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

The grant is a major part of finance for the £100m-plus energy recovery plant, which will use a combination of green technologies, and will be the first of its kind in the UK.

On her visit to the development site, Baroness Hanham commented: “This plant will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the security and diversity of the energy supply.

“Supporting this Hull-based company with public funding to pioneer these cleaner, more efficient technologies and sharing the learning gained from operating the plant, will help to roll out similar facilities elsewhere in the UK and around the world.

“This investment will create highly skilled jobs and contributes to the Humber area’s growing reputation as one of the best places in the world to develop environmental energy businesses.”

Energy Works will potentially cut 90% of the waste sent to landfills in the region, by using it to produce electricity, while the project also hopes to create 60 jobs and help other businesses in Yorkshire and Hull to reduce their carbon footprint.

The project also hopes to spread the word about renewable energy through its on-site Energy Academy, which is part of a partnership with the University of Hull, where two spots for postgraduate renewable energy students will be created.

Charlie Spencer, chief executive and founder of the scheme’s promoter, Spencer Group, said: “We are delighted that the Government and the European Commission have recognised that Energy Works is an innovative, green and clean development which can be replicated elsewhere. It has been a pleasure to brief the Minister on the many benefits it offers.

“This grant is a key element of the funding model and enables the project to move forward. As a Hull-based company, we are intensely proud that we will be pioneering a UK first in the city and that our investment will add to the Humber region’s credentials as the UK hub for renewable energy technologies.”

Spencer Group will now go ahead with detailed implementation plans, and has anticipated full financial closure on the project later in 2013.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .