Infrastructure Horizons: Biomass A practical guide for contractors seeking to enter the biomass civil engineering sector. Contents 01 CONTENTS 02 INTRODUCTION 03 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES TO SHAPE THE WORLD 05 REGULATION & LEGISLATION 07 CONSTRUCTION 08 PILING & GROUND ENGINEERING 09 SHUTTERING, FIXING & CONCRETING 10 STEEL FRAME CONSTRUCTION 10 STEEL TANK CONSTRUCTION 12 SSE/FORTH PORTS 17 ANGLESEA ALUMINIUM 12 E.ON 18 CARRON ENERGY 13 RWE NPOWER 18 DALKIA 13 RES 18 EXPRESS ENERGY 14 HELIUS ENERGY 19 EAST YORKSHIRE POWER 14 GAIA POWER 19 REAL VENTURES 14 ECO2 19 MGT POWER 15 DRAX 20 WATER COMPANIES 16 KEDCO 21 UK BIOMASS POWER STATIONS: CURRENTLY OPERATING 22 UK BIOMASS POWER STATIONS: IN PLANNING/UNDER CONSTRUCTION 23 UK BIOMASS POWER STATIONS: PROPOSED PROJECTS 23 ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE HORIZONS 01 Introduction to the Toolkit In recent years the challenge for the UK’s power producers Biomass Sub-divisions has been quite simple - how to maintain the level of power the nation requires while replacing our existing fleet of aging, That simple definition of a biomass operation being powered environmentally questionable nuclear and fossil fuel driven using living or recently living organisms becomes rather more power stations. tortuous with a host of add on definitions and sub-sectors within the industry. And with national and international governmental decisions being taken to help reduce our impact on the environment, There are five basic categories of fuel material which are used there has been an increased focus on the use of more in biomass plants they are:- sustainable solutions to help meet our electricity demand. Virgin wood: fuel material sourced from forestry, While the greater focus has been on the provision of on and arboriculture activities or from wood processing offshore wind farms there have also been strides taken to Energy crops: fuel material sourced from high yield crops increase the influence of power production from material grown specifically for energy applications derived from living or recently living organisms – or biomass. Agricultural residues: residues from agriculture harvesting or Carbon used to construct biomass is absorbed from processing atmospheric carbon dioxide by plant life. Plants may be eaten by animals and converted in animal biomass. Food waste: waste from food and drink manufacture, preparation and processing, and post-consumer waste If not eaten it is broken down, releasing the carbon as either carbon dioxide or methane. If burned it is returned as carbon Industrial waste: waste material and co-products from dioxide. manufacturing and industrial processes. Power plants can use both the heat generated by burning biomass or the methane as a fuel to produce electricity. 2 Foreword Environmental Policies to Shape the World Like many industrial processes in the UK power production Since 2002 the government has used the Renewals now and in the future is shaped by a commitment made by Obligation (RO) mechanism to help incentivise large scale the bulk of the world’s industrialised nations more than 15 renewable electricity projects but under the EMR this will years ago. close to new schemes in 2017. A new mechanism called Contract for Difference will be put in its place. The Kyoto Protocol which the European Union signed up to in 1997 sets binding targets on the industrialised nations to However, the government has said it will not support the reduce greenhouses gases in an attempt to limit the man- construction of new biomass facilities except in situations made interference on the world’s climate. where the proposed facility has a combined heat and power function. Under the protocol those signatories agreed to limit and reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in two Projects to be supported under the Renewables Obligation target periods 2008-12 and 20013-20. will also have strict new provisions to ensure the sustainability of their fuel sources. The UK government has also launched its own legislative measures to combat climate change with the introduction With the RO facing an end date of 2037 any accreditations of the Climate Change Act 2008. would receive less than 20 years of RO support if the accreditation time limit were extended. But with the This too commits the country to a reduction in greenhouse CfD set to be introduced in 2017 it is the government’s gas emissions, specifically a target of 80% on 2010 levels intention to start letting CfD contracts in early 2014 so over a series of budget periods ending in 2050. there will be transparency around support levels under It is against this background that the power and energy the CfD in the lead up to 2017. This it argues should help sector has been forced to re-evaluate its dependence on alleviate the concern of some developers but it has not costly and polluting fossil fuel-based solutions and look stopped some of the major clients re-evaluating the sector. toward methods that will still allow us to produce our own Centrica announced in October 2012 that it was pulling out energy while decreasing the impact of that production on of the sector once more as it shelved plans to build new the environment. Under the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive the UK has been targeted with providing some 15% of its energy “ The power and energy consumption by renewable sources such as biomass, onshore and offshore wind power, wave and tidal power sector has been forced to and solar photovoltaics by 2020. With the renewable supply figure standing at 3% at the time of the directive re-evaluate its dependence it became clear that meeting those commitments would on costly and polluting be achievable but not easy. The government published the Renewable Energy Roadmap which showed how the fossil fuel-based solutions.” UK could meet these targets and, at the same time, its updatable Electricity Market Reform white paper. Infrastructure Horizons: Biomass Environmental Policies to Shape the World continued biomass plants next to its existing facilities in Brigg and Proposed schemes batting around local authority planning Roosecote due to the introduction of the new system and departments for years might also be called in by the what it saw as ‘the likely exclusion of dedicated biomass Secretary of State, adding further time delays and causing projects from the new capacity mechanism.’ uncertainty among investors, uncertainty that has in itself lead to the market not progressing as far or as fast as first And despite winning planning permission to build a new hoped. 150 Mw biomass facility at Portbury Dock near Bristol electricity company E.On announced in October 2013 that There are many reasons why funding parties need a level of it had cancelled the scheme. surety in a market and although the biomass sector is far from volatile there are enough variables to make investors Another problem with the development of large scale revisit their calculators. biomass, biogas and waste facilities is one familiar to developers of all major projects across the country. The UK planning system is extremely robust and depending on which side of the debate you are on tilted in favour of the protestor or the developer. Whichever may be the case there is common ground between the two factions. Both complain that the planning procedure in the UK is too onerous and developers and contractors in particular bemoan the length of time it can take to see schemes through to fruition. This is an area that the government has been trying to bring under control but still according to developers the planning process can take so long to come to fruition, particularly on large and mid- scale operations, that companies can be left years waiting for their project to be given the final go-ahead. Infrastructure Horizons: Biomass Regulation & Legislation The renewable and biomass energy sector is covered by a The Environment Agency also does not consider untreated raft of regulation and legislation. It is important that those virgin timber as waste. entering the market, including designers and contractors, Research facilities that treat less than 50 tonnes of waste have a solid foundation in the most appropriate. These each year are also exempt. include:- The WID also imposes requirements on the types of waste permitted at a plant, its delivery, reception, operating Environmental Permitting Programme conditions and equipment used. It also underlines emission This created a single regulatory system that integrates the monitoring requirements and limits. Waste Management licencing and Pollution Prevention & Control to create a single system – the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007. Waste Incineration Directive The ‘thermal treatment’ of wastes is governed by the WID. There are a number of specific wastes excluded from its scope which include:- • Vegetable waste from agriculture and forestry • Vegetable waste from food processing as long as the facility includes heat recovery • Fibrous vegetable waste from pulp making providing this happens on-site and the heat is recovered. • Wood waste – except that which has been treated with preservatives or coatings containing heavy metals or halogenated organic compounds • Cork waste Infrastructure Horizons: Biomass Building Regulations Standard building regulations covering the design and construction of structures and buildings will apply. Building Regulations Part J covers combustion appliances and fuel storage systems, fire safety, ventilation and flue design. Clean Air Act Within smoke control areas only specified manufactured smokeless fuels can be used. Others including wood and pellets can only be burned in tested and approved appliances. Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations (England and Wales) The PPCR regulate the emission of pollutants. Operating within these regulations is allowed through permits that set operating conditions Large Combustion Plant Directive This applies to all combustion plants with a thermal output greater than 50Mw. Ash dieback regulations Regulation aimed at minimising the spread of the disease with a primary aim to restrict the importation and planting of ash trees.