Case Study

Energy not

FCC Environment has had a major shift in emphasis for its business strategy. It is focusing on materials and the recovery of renewable energy as it moves away from disposal.

Green energy is an important strand of the business - whether its energy from waste (EfW) to generate electricity or heat, creating power from energy crops or using the natural force of the wind to produce electricity.

Energy from waste infrastructure Already the company has two energy from waste (EfW) In addition, FCC Environment has been facilities: granted permission for two further EfW plants:

Allington, Kent Greatmoor in Buckinghamshire • Treating up to 500,000 tonnes of residual waste each • Up to 300,000 tonnes of residual household year from homes and businesses and business waste • Generating up to 43 megawatts – enough power for Mercia EnviRecover* up to 70,000 homes and equivalent to saving 200,000 tonnes per year of coal • Up to 200,000 tonnes of residual household and business waste for Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Eastcroft, Nottingham These projects are vital to reduce reliance on landfill and • Treating up to 160,000 tonnes of waste from homes and to sustainably treat waste that cannot be recycled. These businesses are major steps for FCC Environment as it continues to • Generating steam for a major urban district heating focus on turning waste into a resource. scheme • Providing heat for more than 4,000 homes as well as RDF export many offices and public buildings in the city. Currently there is not enough residual infrastructure to treat what we produce. However, our A third EfW is currently under construction and will come European counterparts have excess capacity for EfW on line in 2013: . Until sufficient capacity is brought on line North Hykeham, Lincolnshire in the UK, FCC Environment is producing RDF (refuse derived fuel) and SRF (solid recovered fuel) at a number • Treating up to 150,000 tonnes of waste each year of its recycling facilities for export to efficient EU facilities. • Generating more than 11MW of electricity to power over 10,000 homes. FCC Environment is committed to reusing, recycling and recovering energy from as much unrecyclable material as possible within the UK and continues to invest in a wide range of waste and resource treatment infrastructure.

Using RDF and SRF allows FCC Environment to maximise the amount of value derived from commercial, industrial and municipal waste to help customers meet waste recycling and recovery targets.

* A joint venture for Worcestershire County Council and Herefordshire Council by FCC Environment and Urbaser Ltd Beyond landfill

Part of the company’s restoration obligations at closed landfill sites means the land can potentially be used to generate green energy by growing energy crops for the production of biogas on site, or as a feedstock for biomass power stations.

Energy crops FCC Environment is already growing energy crops in the form of maize which will be used by the Drax power station in North Yorkshire. Wind power The next step is to FCC Environment has been granted permission use landfill sites to for two wind turbine developments on former site small anaerobic landfill sites in the East Riding of Yorkshire digestion (AD) plants which will generate enough energy to power and to grow maize 4,500 homes. A number of other proposed alongside for use as a developments are in the planning process. feedstock. Eastcroft EfW

With the UK’s target of 15% of energy from renewable sources by 2020, renewable energy Energy from waste and Green Energy + such as wind turbines and energy crops is an important part of FCC Environment’s business director at FCC Environment, Steve Brown: strategy. “Legislation such as landfill tax, together with potential opportunities in the secondary commodity market, means FCC Environment’s approach to delivering a sustainable future that increasingly waste producers – be • We are keen to promote waste as a valuable resource they small or large – are looking at ways of getting maximum value from their • Our experienced team operate more than 200 waste treatment and renewable energy sites in the UK offering waste. But it’s not just about extracting municipal and business waste solutions for companies of more value from recyclables through all sizes MRF developments, HWRCs and business • FCC Group are industry leaders in energy from waste glass collections; it’s about recovering (EfW) with plants throughout Europe value, often in the form of energy, from • We work in partnership with businesses and local residual waste that cannot be recycled. authorities to raise awareness of the need for a more “When used as part of a sustainable and sustainable future. integrated waste and resource strategy, • FCC Environment is investing in its people and the future of EfW. It is running both a Graduate and an which includes seeking high recycling apprenticeship scheme at its Allington and Eastcroft rates, EfW can deliver real benefits by EfW plants which will hone apprentices’ skills and make reducing dependence them particularly suitable for this technology. on climate-changing fossil fuels and To find out more contact increasing the use FCC Environment’s of renewable energy.” Green Energy+ Division

tel 01604 826200 web www.fccenvironment.co.uk

Published by FCC Environment, Ground Floor West, 900 Pavilion Drive, Northampton Business Park, Northampton, NN4 7RG. www.fccenvironment.co.uk