15
Construction of the new recycling facilities at Edmonton reuse and circular economy practices for other infrastructure projects to gain ideas and inspiration .
A two-storey community centre is also being built as a part of the project , which will run entirely off-grid for its energy needs . It will be the new home of the youth charity Edmonton Sea Cadets , who have been based in Edmonton since 1942 . It will function too as a visitor and education hub where people will be able find out more about recycling resources , heat , power , and how to reduce the carbon impact of their waste .
As well as these new facilities , the project includes the replacement of Europe ’ s oldest energy-from-waste plant , which has stopped north London ’ s unrecyclable waste for over 50 years from rotting in landfill and used it instead to generate electricity for the national grid .
The new plant – an Energy Recovery Facility ( ERF ) – will be the safest and cleanest in the UK due to its advanced technology . It will be the UK ’ s first facility to use Selective Catalytic Reduction to control emissions of nitrogen dioxide and reduce NOx emissions . It will also have combined wet / dry flue gas cleaning , the most efficient technology for controlling acidic gasses , heavy metals , organics , furans , particulates , and dioxins .
Displacing fossil fuel energy generation , the ERF will not only create electricity but also heat and hot water to up to 50,000 homes via one of the largest district heat networks in London . The climate benefits will be substantial – heat from the facility is expected to have 92.3 % lower carbon emissions than gas boilers and 60 % lower carbon than even heat pumps .
The latest recommendations on climate mitigation by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , released on 4 April 2022 , states that ‘ when Waste-to-Energy technologies are equipped with proper air pollution reduction facilities they can contribute to clean electricity production and a reduction of [ greenhouse gas ] emissions ’.
To reduce the impact even further , NLWA is ensuring that the facility will be able to install carbon capture after 2030 , aligned with the development of a south-east industrial cluster and well ahead of the 2050 backstop for all energy-from-waste facilities as advised by the Climate Change Committee in the Sixth Carbon Budget . As a public statutory body , NLWA can also ensure that the ERF will never undermine recycling or create a demand for rubbish as it can run the ERF at a lower capacity when systemic change reduces waste in future .
Earlier this year , infrastructure and renewable energy developer , ACCIONA , signed the contract with NLWA to build the ERF . Hundreds of skilled jobs are being created , including at least 418 full time roles , 180 training placements and 90 apprenticeships , bringing life-changing career opportunities for local people . These new positions are in addition to hundreds of roles already created to take the project to this point .
NLWA ’ s primary purpose is to manage north London ’ s recycling and waste in the most environmentally responsible and cost-effective way possible . Owned by the public , for the public , the new , technologically advanced infrastructure at Edmonton ’ s EcoPark will be important assets for London for decades to come .
www . constructionviewonline . co . uk