Work is underway on the largest clinical waste treatment plant built in the UK for 20 years at an existing biomass facility site in Stoke-on-Trent.
Waste Energy Power Partners (WEPP) has completed its purchase of the building on Scotia Business Park, following planning approval in March 2020. Construction has begun on the £25 million, 16,000 tonne per annum capacity Clinical Energy Recovery Facility, which is expected to be fully operational by Q3 2021.
The current two and-a-half acre site is being re-developed as a state-of-the-art facility to safely and effectively treat clinical and other hazardous waste streams, and to generate electricity that will be put into the local grid. It will use both SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) and SNCR (Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction) to filter emissions before being discharged to the air, making it one of the lowest emitting sites in the UK.
The project is being financed by Equitix, a leading investor in core infrastructure and energy efficiency assets in the UK and Europe. It is their second collaboration with WEPP in the specialist clinical waste sector following the funding of a similar 8,000 tonnes per annum plant in Malvern, Worcestershire that is currently being commissioned. Both plants will operate under the Clinitek brand.
Rebecca Collins, managing director, Equitix Investments, said: “Equitix is delighted to be a part of this project to provide a new clinical waste facility at Stoke-on-Trent, offering vital disposal services to the NHS and other frontline institutions. As a long-term manager of core infrastructure assets, Equitix is committed to driving sustainability and to building long-lasting, trusted relationships with our partners, suppliers and the communities we serve.“
Simon Brown, director, Waste Energy Power Partners (WEPP), said: “We can’t wait to begin construction of our second clinical waste treatment plant in Stoke on Trent. We hope that our new facility will be a major asset to the area and the UK as a whole.
“The importance of safe and effective treatment of the UK’s clinical waste has never been more apparent in these difficult times, and WEPP is proud to be leading the effort to provide this capability across the UK.”
Incinco is the British-based technology provider for the project, which has provided similar installations throughout the world. The Stoke project will use one of its largest medical waste treatment units, the FS2000. All construction activity will be overseen and managed by Cobalt Energy. The Stoke project is the fourth energy asset project in as many years on which Cobalt Energy, founded ten years ago, has led the construction.