ReFood appoints Britcon to extend waste to energy site

UK-based food waste recycler ReFood (UK) has appointed Britcon to deliver an extension to its £24 million (€28m) plant in Widnes.  

Lincolnshire-based construction and development business Britcon is building a new £1.2 million digester tank on the site which processes food waste into gas for the National Grid.

The appointment follows Britcons successful delivery of the main plant in 2014 as well as a £20 million plant in Doncaster in 2011 (with subsequent £5 million extension in 2014).  Britcon is also currently principal contractor for a new £13.5 million plant in Dagenham for ReFood.

ReFood is the European market leader in the recycling of food chain by-products. It has a portfolio of 11 AD plants across Europe which together generate enough renewable energy to power over 50,000 homes every year.

The state of the art plant in Widnes currently processes 120,000 tonnes of waste to produce 5MWh of renewable energy per year. The new 18-metre-high and 16-metre-diameter digester tank will increase its food waste recycling capability by 25%.

John Whitmore, director at Britcon, said: “Through our work on all of its UK sites we have developed a strong relationship with ReFood, which values our expertise in this very specialist build sector. We are delighted to secure a further contract to expand its Widnes site as we move to towards completion of its biggest project to date in Dagenham.”

Paul Morris, operations director at ReFood, added: “We are pleased to rely on the team at Britcon again for our Widnes expansion as we seek to increase our production of sustainable green energy.  The team has proved to be extremely experienced and proficient in this complex area of construction whilst conforming to our sustainability agenda.  Over recent years we have developed a fantastic relationship that we trust.”

Britcon’s experience working within the energy and renewables sector has resulted in particular credentials including biomass, solar PV, CHP, wind turbine, anaerobic digestion and thermal and ground source energy. The company is an active member of the Renewables Network.

Britcon, which is based in Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, has set out a strategic plan to focus its core business on key growth areas including energy and renewables.