Parc Adfer Waste-to-Energy Facility
Wheelabrator Parc Adfer waste-to-energy facility will treat post-recycled waste to create energy and recyclables. It will also deliver jobs and a range of economic benefits for the area. Post-recycled waste fuel for the facility will be provided primarily by the five authorities, which initiated the procurement to achieve long-term targets for recycling and diversion of waste from landfill. A further long-term contract is in place with a top tier waste management company, ensuring that over 70 percent of the facility’s fuel supply is hedged at fixed prices. The remaining capacity at the facility will be offered to commercial waste collection companies.
Parc Adfer Waste-to-Energy Facility Meeting Welsh Government Targets
Wheelabrator Parc Adfer waste-to-energy facility will help the five local authorities meet the Welsh Government’s 2025 municipal waste and recycling targets, that is: to recycle 70 percent and send no more than five percent to landfill. Metals and aggregate are recovered from the facility’s bottom ash and will improve the Partnership’s recycling rates by around seven percent. Throughout the life of the Wheelabrator Parc Adfer facility, this could amount to over a million tonnes of aggregate and 60,000 tonnes of metals.
Quick Facts
- Hundreds of jobs created during the construction phase
- An estimated 35 new full-time jobs created when operational
- Clean, sustainable energy generated for more than 30,000 homes (or enough power for a town nearly four times the size of Connah’s Quay)
- Funding for local communities totalling £230,000 a year
- Multiple supply chain opportunities for local businesses
The benefits
The development of Wheelabrator Parc Adfer Waste-to-Energy Facility will support:
- UK Government and European best practice targets to recover energy from post-recycled material for use in heat and power schemes
- Reduce greenhouse gases by preventing methane release from landfill and reducing the need for fossil fuels
- Reduced reliance on fossil fuels
- Recycling of metals from ash
- Ash which can be used as a replacement for primary aggregates in the construction sector
- Use of materials that might otherwise go to landfill or export to Europe
- Creation of hundreds of construction jobs and an estimated 35 new full time roles when operational
- Additional employment and supply chain opportunities for the area
Current status
Planning consent was granted by Flintshire County Council in May 2015. Natural Resources Wales granted the facility an environmental permit in October 2015.
Full construction work on the Wheelabrator Parc Adfer waste-to-energy facility commenced in December 2016 and the facility is expected to commence operations in 2019.
Facility Site location
The site is located on the Deeside Enterprise Zone (DEZ) on the Deeside Industrial Park next to the Shotton Paper Mill. The DEZ is specifically allocated for employment use and is also identified as being suitable for a range of waste management uses, including energy recovery facilities such as Wheelabrator Parc Adfer.
How Waste-To-Energy Works
Waste-to-energy is recognised as having an important role in the reduction of greenhouse gases both through reduced emissions of landfill methane and offset of power generation from fossil fuels. In addition Wheelabrator Parc Adfer will recycle the ash for use in aggregates and recover metals for recycling. Modern EfWs are sophisticated facilities which safely and effectively convert heterogeneous waste materials into clean, renewable energy and useful by-products, while sustainably powering communities and protecting the environment.
Combustion – The waste material moves through a thermal (heating) process, where temperatures exceed 1110°C
High Pressure Steam -Heat from the combustion process heats water in boiler tubes to create high-pressure steam
Electricity Production – Plant turbines generate electricity that is sold to the National Grid Network to power homes and businesses
Metals Recovery – Additional metals are removed from the ash, which are sold and recycled into new products.
Ash Recycling – Bottom ash produced by Wheelabrator Parc Adfer will be recovered and reused as a secondary aggregate by the construction industry.
Air Quality Control – Gas passes through a fabric filter where particulates and remaining pollutants are removed. We will also adhere to strict limits on the creation of noise and odour by holding the facility under negative air pressure.