Green light for revised Corby EfW plant

Plans for an energy-recovery facility (EfW) in Corby have received the green light from Northamptonshire county council after the developers opted to steer away from gasification technology.Corby Limited, which owns the proposed EfW site on the Willowbrook Industrial Estate, announced the approval this week (October 15).Planning consent for an energy recovery facility at the site using gasification technology has been in place since 2016.However, challenges over funding meant that Corby Ltd decided to switch its approach and opt for “more proven” moving grate technology. The capacity of the proposed plant has also been increased from up to 195,000 tonnes of waste a year to 260,000 tonnes a year of residual waste and refuse-derived fuel.Corby Ltd said that the “key difference” in the technology from the previously consented scheme was the use of additional oxygen in the energy recovery process.The decision to approve the facility by Northamptonshire county council last month comes despite local concerns over the plant’s impact on air quality and concerns from East Northamptonshire council that nearby historic estates at Kirby Hall and Deene Park would be “visually impacted”.Corby Ltd said it was now hopeful of securing fuel supply agreements with local authorities and businesses, select a technology provider and “progress with the funding of the project”. The company hopes to start construction on the Energy Recovery Centre (ERC) in 2020.The proposed plant would generate 23MW of base load electricity which Corby Ltd said was enough to meet the energy needs of most of the homes in Corby.