Essex County Council offers biomass CHP opportunity
UK-based Essex County Council has announced plans to explore the delivery of a combined heat and power (CHP) biomass boiler facility to treat wood collected at its network of household recycling centres.
The authority is currently seeking expressions of interest from parties within Essex able to maximise use of 6 to 10 MWt of heat produced by a CHP boiler. The facility will, additionally, produce up to 3 MWe of power for use locally or export to the grid.
Councillor Simon Walsh, the cabinet member responsible for waste, said: “The Council is entirely open to partnership possibilities and is keen to hear from parties with appropriately sized agricultural, horticultural, commercial, manufacturing or residential schemes.
“CHP biomass boilers offer a clean, quiet operation and can also be installed close to existing facilities seeking a beneficial retro-fit installation.”
According to the Council, schemes should derive a clear benefit from the combined heat and power credentials and value the sustainable energy dimension within their plans. Propositions must include a strong requirement to utilise the thermal output of the completed CHP biomass boiler; power use-only schemes are not sought.
A land requirement not exceeding one acre, including all vehicle movement areas, is estimated to install the facility. During operation, the facility would expect to receive approximately six deliveries by way of 44-tonne trucks each day, with a maximum of fifty vehicles per week.
A council spokesman added: “Generating heat and power close to where it is needed using sustainable materials will be of huge environmental benefit, not to mention the potential for reduced heating and power costs for the people or businesses utilising the boiler’s output.
“It also means Essex County Council can drastically reduce its carbon footprint by treating waste wood close to where it is collected, rather than sending it to facilities outside of Essex where the local sustainable energy potential is lost.”
Interested parties should, in the first instance, contact Paul Fitch at the Chelmsford office of the Council’s retained property consultants, Lambert Smith Hampton before 30 November 2017.
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