HZI Hands Over the Newhurst Energy Recovery Facility to its Customers
Hitachi Zosen Inova continues to deliver new sustainable waste management facilities in the UK, reducing landfill and using non-recyclable waste to generate electricity.
Following 36 months of construction and commissioning activities at the Newhurst Energy Recovery Facility, Hitachi Zosen Inova has successfully completed the project on time. The new operational facility, which is able to process 350,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste each year, has been successfully handed over to the facility’s joint owners Encyclis and Biffa.
Shepshed, Leicestershire, UK: Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) was appointed by Encyclis (formerly Covanta) and Biffa under a turnkey engineering, procurement and construction contract. After three years of construction and commissioning activities which began in June 2020, the Newhurst Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) has been handed over to the Encyclis operations and maintenance teams.
Strategically located in Shepshed near Loughborough and just off the M1 motorway in the East Midlands, the Newhurst ERF is a significant addition to the UK’s waste management infrastructure. The new plant supports both the UK Government’s drive to reduce reliance on landfill and the ability to treat more non-recyclable waste without relying on landfill or export to
European facilities.
The facility uses HZI’s proven technology and now provides 350,000 tonnes of annual treatment capacity for non-recyclable waste. Since the start of construction in 2020, HZI, Encyclis, Biffa and all supply contractors to the project have had to overcome a number of significant challenges, including Covid-19, extreme weather and supply chain issues due to the situation in Ukraine. As the facility begins its operational phase, the Newhurst ERF will generate up to 42 megawatts of electricity, enough to power around 80,000 UK homes.
“I want to congratulate Encyclis, Biffa, HZI’s project teams and all supply contractors for their commitment over Newhurst’s construction and commissioning phases,” said Fabio Dinale, VP Business Development at HZI. “Since 2020, we’ve had to overcome the significant challenges of Covid-19, extreme weather and supply chain issues due to the situation in Ukraine. By applying innovative and carefully managed logistics, I’m delighted that HZI has handed over this iconic plant to Encyclis and Biffa on time.”
Owen Michaelson, CEO of Encyclis, added: “The move into full commercial operations at Newhurst ERF is a credit to our teams, working with HZI to ensure completion as planned at the outset. Construction started in 2020, when we were all in the grip of the pandemic, and to have achieved delivery on time despite all those headwinds is the result of a remarkable effort by everyone involved in the project.”
The facility achieved first fire on waste on 9 November 2022 as part of the commissioning process, and the completion of testing and optimisation enabled commercial takeover. Importantly, the project created more than 600 jobs at the peak of construction, with 50 people now employed by Encyclis at the facility to ensure 24/7 operations.
Proprietary State-of-the-Art Technologies
The Newhurst facility incorporates state-of-the-art technologies including HZI’s air-cooled HZI moving grate and the XeroSorp® dry exhaust gas cleaning system. “The plant is equipped with a high-performance exhaust gas cleaning system which not only complies with the strictest emission limits, but also regularly falls well below them,” says Ingo Eifert the Project Director at HZI who led the HZI construction and commissioning teams that delivered the Newhurst project.
The installation of XeroSorp® benefits the customer’s operations team on several levels, he explains. “The size and design of the flue gas cleaning system are designed to have a positive impact on energy efficiency. In addition, the dry-cleaning process does not require any additional water, which in turn has a positive effect on the water balance.” With a net electrical efficiency of 31.3%, the Newhurst ERF is also one of the most energy-efficient Waste-to-Energy plants in the UK today.