New Earth Energy Ltd

Biomass Renewable Energy Facility at Dorset Green Technology Park,

Winfrith

Presentation to Dorset Energy GroupDistrict Heating Seminar

13 October 2009

Robert AsquithPlanning Director

Presentation Outline

• About New Earth Energy

• Renewable Energy in Dorset

• The Proposal

• Why Develop at Dorset Green (Winfrith) Technology Centre?

• How it works

• Environmental Considerations – Noise, Landscape, Air Quality etc.

• Summary and timescale

• Questions & Answers

About New Earth Energy Ltd

• A Dorset based company, with its Head Office in Verwood, East Dorset

• Promoting renewable energy to tackle climate change

• Emphasis on biomass energy sources using advanced thermal conversion technology ie

– “cleantech” company working closely with advanced thermal conversion technology developers

– not a wind farm company

• Planning permission to develop a trial pyrolysis facility at Canford – construction and operation in early / mid 2010

• “Pipeline” of projects UK-wide

• Part of New Earth Solutions Group – very close relations, same head office and share staff and resources

New Earth Solutions Group Ltd

• Founded in Dorset in 2002 by local businessmen – backed eg by AIM listed cleantech funds

• Provides a service to Local Authorities to ensure waste is diverted from landfill, and to increase the recycling and recovery of waste – landfill tax £72 per tonne by 2013

• Has developed a patented Mechanical Biological Treatment process – neither landfill nor incineration

• Operates three waste treatment facilities – Dorset, Kent and Gloucestershire

• One more currently in build – two further contracted, build will start in 2010

• Contracts to manage household waste from Bournemouth, Dorset, Kent, Essex, Gloucestershire, Leicestershire and Bristol and the West of England Councils

• Nation-wide development programme – London, Scotland, Merseyside, Lincs

• Over 2 million tonnes of waste contracted to New Earth Solutions Group

Renewable Energy – the challenge

• Global climate change

• Responses by International Treaty (Kyoto/ Copenhagen), EU Directive, UK Government Renewable Energy Strategy 2009, Regional and Local Government

• Various targets – all demanding – 80% reduction in GHG by 2050 (from 1990 levels) – Climate Change Act 2008; 15% of all energy (electricity, heat, transport) from renewable sources by 2020 (EU Renewable Energy Directive).

• SW has targets but has performed poorly (slightly more poorly than most other regions)

• Dorset

– relies currently on landfill gas (NEE sister company is a major player)

– has no operational large scale wind farms

– has a highly protected coastline which will make eg offshore wind, tidal difficult

South West Region Renewable Energy

2010 2020 2009 Installed

(progress)

Required additional

to 2020

509 850 149 1352

SW Renewable Energy Targets and progress to 2008 (Mwe)

Source: Department of Communities and Local Government (Ove Arup Ltd)

Renewable Energy Capacity in Regional Spatial Strategies: Final Report July 2009

South West Renewable Energy Generated 2008 by County (GWh)

Source: Department of Communities and Local Government (Ove Arup Ltd)

Renewable Energy Capacity in Regional Spatial Strategies: Final Report July 2009

County Generated 2008 Comments

Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 57.29 Wind 43.34

Devon 29.49 Wind 15.51; hydro 6.77

Dorset 12.58 Landfill gas 10.32

Gloucestershire 9.84 Landfill gas 7.92

Somerset 10.04 Landfill gas 7.92

West of England (former Avon) 17.48 Sewage gas 5.75; landfill gas 5.45

Wiltshire 14.00 Landfill gas 13.05

South West total 150.72 Landfill gas 72.85

Wind 53.20

Sewage gas 11.40

The Proposal

• A Renewable Energy Facility producing10 MW heat and 10 MW power from a biomass feedstock

• Utilisation of Pyrolysis Advanced Thermal Conversion (ATC)

• Delivery in two phases

• Use of a pre-treated biomass feedstock made from non hazardous waste – Phase 1: Prepared at two existing facilities at Canford, Poole and Shepton Mallet, Somerset

• Phase 2: Biomass feedstock prepared at a site close to Dorchester

• Future proofing – farmed biomass may replace waste derived

• The building – approximately 80m (l) X 35m (w) X 14m (h) with a 23m exhaust

• Production of 10MWe of electricity enough to power approximately 9,000 homes

• Also up to 10MWth of heat – to supply Dorset Green Business Park

Site Location

Why Dorset Green Technology Centre?

• Dorset Green (Winfrith) Technology Centre is identified as one of two major Strategic Employment sites in Dorset, the other being at Bournemouth Airport

• The site has the potential to be the first ‘zero carbon’ business park in Dorset

• Invited by ZBV, the landowner, through a competitive bid to develop and operate a renewable energy facility to serve the future needs of the business park

• A previously developed site

• Good grid connection and potential to use existing heat distribution network

• Well screened and providing good separation from residential properties

• Good transport access

The Process Flow (Phase 1)

• Waste is mechanically sorted to remove the majority of plastics, metals and inert materials at the Canford facility – “2nd chance recycling”

• Wood waste is separated and chipped at the Shepton Mallet site

• The feedstock is delivered to the Winfrith facility in contained HGVs

• The HGVs enter the facility and the doors are closed, the feedstock is then emptied into the feed system

• Moisture content is regulated using driers running on recovered heat

• The feedstock is fed into the pyrolysis units and heated to 850-950⁰C

• This produces a synthetic gas and a carbon rich bio-char

• The synthetic gas is cleaned and cooled prior to being combusted in a traditional ‘spark ignition’ gas engine, turning a generator and producing electricity for the local supply grid

• Heat may be recovered from the exhaust and engine jacket

The Process Flow

The Pyrolysis Unit

Feed conveyer

Pyrolysis Unit

Synthetic Gas clean up

Diesel Cycle Gas engine

Biomass feedstock input

Noise and Odour

• Nearest properties – Cliff Cottage and Fantasia north of the railway, at 525m and 360m respectively

• East Knighton and East Burton approximately 1.4km away, Wool approximately 2km away

• All processing operations will be undertaken within the facility buildings

• Facility will be kept under negative pressure, drawing fresh air into the buildings

• No feedstock will be stored outside

• Gas engines will be acoustically housed, similar to those already housed at Canford

• Pumps and external plant will also be acoustically housed if required to meet permitted noise levels

Landscape and Design

• The site is located to the rear of the Technology Centre, screened by existing buildings to the south and east

• Existing trees provide screen from the north

• The size and shape of the proposal is influenced by the internal requirements of the facility

• Proposed graduated colours minimises mass of the building

• Proposed 23m exhaust lower than the existing tree belt

• Distant views of facility from AONB – but within context of the existing employment site

Transportation

• Site accessed to the north of the Technology Centre, via the Dorset Police Headquarters road

• Deliveries Monday to Friday (7am to 7pm) and Saturday (7am to 1pm)

• No Sunday or Bank Holiday movements

• A total of 22 two-way HGV movements per day – around 2 two-way movements per hour – when Phase 2 developed (ie half this number for phase 1) – will avoid am and pm peaks – replacing some current vehicle movements

• Fewer vehicle movement than the allocated MBT / RDF facility in Waste Local Plan (92 two-way movements per day)

• Predominantly routing of vehicles via A31 / A35, C6 (Bere Regis to Wool) and A352

• Development of a Construction Traffic Management Plan and Site Travel Plan

• Improvements to the local transport infrastructure via a financial contribution as part of the planning application (Section 106 Agreement)

Air Quality

• Biomass feedstock excludes the majority of plastics and metals and is non-hazardous

• Synthetic gas is cleaned prior to use in engines, resulting in a clean exhaust emission

• Multi core exhaust will be 23m

• Nitrogen deposition on the nearby Dorset Heaths will not exceed the ‘critical load’ and therefore will not risk the integrity of the Heathlands

• Air quality will be monitored by the Environment Agency, who will set out air quality requirements as part of the site’s Environmental Permit, required to operate the facility

Summary

• Production of 10MW of renewable electricity and 10MW of renewable heat to help meet Dorset’s obligations

• Potential to run pyrolysis units on non-waste derived biomass feedstock -flexibility ensures that the facility will not become ‘waste hungry’

• Supporting the renewal of Dorset Green (Winfrith Technology Centre)

• Meeting the identified need to manage Dorset’s waste as part of recycling and composting initiatives

• A fresh outlook at managing Dorset’s waste – utilising the benefits of biomass feedstock that is not able to be re-used or recycled

• Production of renewable heat and power to serve the needs of the Technology Centre and local area

• Responding to the climate change challenge

• Scoping Opinion sought from Dorset County Council

• Pre-planning consultation

• Planning application to be submitted in early 2010

• Four months for Dorset County Council determination

• Commencement of project in late 2010

• First biomass feedstock utilised by 2012

• Questions and Answers

• Thank You

Robert Asquith, Planning Director

Email: robert.asquith@newearthenergy.co.uk

Telephone: (01202) 812300