Hitachi Zosen Inova Appointed to Design, Build and Operate the Westfield Energy Centre in Scotland

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Hitachi Zosen Inova Appointed to Design, Build and Operate the Westfield Energy Centre in Scotland

Bringing new sustainable waste management forwards and reducing landfill usage in Scotland

Following financial close on the Westfield Energy Centre on 16 December 2021, developers Brockwell Energy Ltd has appointed Hitachi Zosen Inova to design, build, and, for the very first time in the UK, also operate and maintain the new Waste to Energy plant in Fife, Scotland. The facility will generate more than 23MW of electricity by processing up to 240,000 tonnes of residual waste each year.

Fife, Scotland, UK. Brockwell Energy Ltd. has awarded Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) the contract to design, build, operate and maintain a new Waste to Energy facility (WtE) on the former Westfield opencast coal site in the county of Fife in central Scotland. For the Swiss Japanese greentech company, this is the first project in the UK where it will not only act as an EPC contractor, HZI will also operate and maintain the facility on behalf of the client for 25 years.

Brockwell Energy’s Technical & Operations Director Neil Young commented: “After many years of hard work, we are delighted to have completed the financing and contracting to enable the construction of this facility. It has been a very challenging economic period and we are grateful for the continuing support of all the key stakeholders involved in the project, including Fife Council and Fife Council’s waste disposal business, Cireco. We are delighted to have HZI’s broad experience in building and operating this facility. Over the long-term, the Westfield plant will support and advance Scotland and the UK’s network of waste management infrastructure.”

Full construction is set to start in February 2022 and the new facility will enter commercial operations in 2025, where it will generate more than 23MW of electrical renewable energy which will contribute valuable baseload energy to the National Grid. In addition, the three-year build phase will require several hundred construction workers and will create numerous supply chain opportunities for local businesses and trades. Then, once the facility starts commercial operations, it will provide additional employment through 40 new full-time roles, as personnel will be needed to operate and maintain the plant over its lifetime. 

“Scotland’s drive for sustainable waste management includes clear recycling targets as well as ensuring that non-recyclable waste does not end up in landfill. However, it’s important that this waste is also appropriately managed to allow energy and valuable materials to be recovered in the process and lower our overall carbon footprint”, says Fabio Dinale, VP Business Development at HZI. “Modern WtE plants like the Westfield Energy Centre will make significant contributions to meet these vital social and environmental goals.”

Proprietary State-of-the-Art Technologies
The new infrastructure project will be built on the site of the former Westfield opencast coal site in Fife. The plant will be equipped with HZI’s own technologies such as the HZI reciprocating grate, as well as their boiler technology and state of the art flue gas treatment. These processes will enable the Westfield facility to meet the strict emission directive requirements and satisfy the high demands placed on a modern WtE system.

Building Strong Partnerships with Brockwell Energy
With the signing of the contract on December 16th, 2021, HZI will begin work on its 15th project in the United Kingdom. Fabio Dinale underlines the importance of the latest project for HZI: “The UK remains a strong market for HZI, and we are immensely proud to not only build this project for Brockwell Energy Ltd, but support them through our 25-year Operation and Maintenance Contract in bringing new and urgently needed waste management infrastructure to Scotland.”

 

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Download image (Visualisation of the Westfield Energy Centre)