Project Details
Architect’s impression of the new Energy Centre (north east elevation)
The Location
The new energy recovery centre will be built on a 17 acre (7 hectare) site, allocated for industrial use, at Tofts Road West and and adjacent to Tofts Farm West and Graythorp Industrial Estates, with the main line railway and Tata Steel’s plant to the north west.
Investment & Employment Opportunities
With a capital investment of £230 million, the Energy Centre will provide a rare opportunity to bring the site into productive industrial use while providing significant employment prospects, with the creation of 300 jobs- up to 450 at peak periods - during the three-year construction phase and 40 full time posts over the Centre’s operational lifetime of 25 years or more.
Plant Operation
The energy centre will generate 49.5MW (megawatts) of electricity, producing the equivalent of the average annual consumption of more than 90,000 homes. It will produce this power by the combustion of fuel in two parallel furnace/boiler systems feeding a single steam turbine and generator system that will export the power to the local grid.
The operation of the facility is shown in this schematic process diagram:
The curved roof of the main building will protect the fuel delivery and boiler system areas, rising from approximately 35 metres to a maximum of around 45 metres above ground floor level. Two flues, one for each furnace/boiler, will be contained within a single chimney stack. The precise height of the stack has yet to be calculated but should be in the order of 85 to 90 metres.
Energy Recovery from Waste Feedstocks
Electricity will be generated at the Centre from dry post recycling/sorted waste from industrial and household sources, which would otherwise be disposed of in landfill sites, or even shipped to Europe for power generation there.
With production of waste expected to rise in the future, estimates from 2016 indicate around 30 million tonnes of residual (post recycling/waste streaming) material are produced annually in the UK, with just under 50% going to landfill and 35% going to existing ‘energy from waste’ facilities. Of the remaining 15-16%, around 3 million tonnes are exported while the remaining 1 million tonnes receives other treatment.
Consequently, the current opportunity to recover energy from waste while reducing the landfill burden is significant. The Graythorp Energy project will take advantage of that and be able to provide benefit to the local area in terms of financial contribution through employment and much needed income for the local council, through business rate payments over many years.
Monitoring Emissions
A number of processes will be in place to remove unwanted gases and particulates in the emissions from combustion. The chimney flues will contain sensors to provide constant monitoring of these emissions, to make sure they comply with the strict requirements of the EU’s Industrial Emissions Standard.
See the ‘Environmental Measures’ page for further details.
Transport & Vehicle Movements
Around a half a million tonnes of waste feedstock will be will brought to the 7 hectares site by lorry each year.
In summary, the HGV traffic generated by the proposed Graythorp Energy Centre development:
Will have to follow HGV routing that would not pass through any residential areas within Hartlepool, Seaton Carew and Billingham or any other local settlement.
Will use fully enclosed trailers using ‘moving floor’ unloading systems so as to eliminate any potential for waste to be littered along the HGV route.
HGV Routing
A Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) routing strategy has been discussed and agreed with highway officers at Hartlepool Borough Council. All HGVs travelling to / from the Graythorp Energy Centre site will route via Brenda Road, the A187 Tees Road, and the A1185 to access the Wolviston (A19 / A689) junction. The HGV route is illustrated on the plan below:
The HGV routing strategy restricts HGVs from passing through residential areas of Hartlepool, Seaton Carew, Billingham and other local settlements.
Enclosed Trailers Will be Used for all Deliveries
All waste transported to the site would be carried within ‘walking floor’ trailers. A major benefit of these trailers is that they are fully enclosed, preventing risk of littering along the strict HGV route so eliminating the potential for waste to result in a potential nuisance on the highway network.
Materials unloaded from a walking floor trailer are pushed out of the trailer in a controlled manner rather than tipped out. In the case of the Graythorp Energy project the unloading is carried out indoors, within the reception hall, thus eliminating the potential for waste to be a nuisance within the local environment.
Close up of the ‘Moving Floor’ plates, within the enclosed trailers, that push the waste feedstock out into the indoor reception bunker.
Traffic Movements
It is anticipated that the development will generate approximately 150 HGV deliveries per day. Delivery schedules to the site will be organised so that they peak outside of the traditional morning and evening rush hour periods on the highway network, with greatest vehicle movements to the site typically occurring between 10am – 12pm and 2pm – 3pm on weekdays.