A recent project to be undertaken by developer Kedco, has been given the go ahead by Enfield council. The biomass combined heat and power plant (CHP) now has full planning and environmental permission to convert 60,000 tonnes of waste timber every year into around 12 W of heat and electricity. Construction is to begin in the last quarter of 2013.

 

In an interview with the Telegraph, Chief executive Jerry Madden said:

 

“The company has a clear plan in place for the Enfield Biomass CHP project with the key objective being to reach financial close by Q3 2013.

 

“Given the flagship nature of the project, which is located in the London area within the M25, the company is pleased to have received numerous enquiries from various parties interested in participating in the project, and we look forward to finalising this shortly.”

 

The project has already had over £2 million invested in it to date and is fully consented, having received planning permission from Enfield Borough Council in August 2010. Furthermore, an offer has been received by the project to connect to the local distribution network with plenty of capacity available in the area. The project is also set to generate around £12 million in revenue.

 

This is a great initiative to be taking place in Enfield and will help the Borough reduce its overall carbon footprint. The reusing of waste timber to fire the CHP plant will also help reduce Enfield’s land fill levels, a pressing issue for many local councils around the UK.

 

The heat generated from burning the wood will be drawn off in the CHP plant and converted into energy. This can then be used to help heat and light the Borough in a sustainable and energy efficient manner. The plant will also be heated and lit by the same energy, which will contribute to a good rating on an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) when it has to be assessed.

 

Enfield has a good record for energy efficiency and is making a positive commitment to bringing down its overall emissions levels. On March 18 this year, Enfield Borough Council announced the introduction of a scheme to reduce energy usage in its street lights by over 40%, which is also predicted to save millions of pounds of council taxpayers money over the next 20 years. This is to be done via the installation of a high tech energy management system, the project expected to be completed by early next year.

 

Regarding the new energy efficient lighting initiative, Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Chris Bond, said:

 

“This is a fantastic project which will save us millions of pounds and improve the quality of our street lighting without having any impact at all on the people who live in this borough.

 

“We need to find new and innovative ways of finding savings in the current difficult economic period and we are looking at everything we do to ensure all our services are efficient and effective and meet the needs of our residents.”

 

This is all great news for Enfield and should set an example to some of the lower performing London Borough Councils to get themselves on the right track and improve their overall energy efficiency and emissions ratings. Projects like these are taking place in areas throughout the UK and it is good to see a local council making a positive commitment to its overall sustainability, as well as that of the UK as a whole.