Riverside Energy Park The Project and its Benefits Report VOLUME NUMBER: PLANNING INSPECTORATE REFERENCE NUMBER: EN010093 DOCUMENT REFERENCE: 07 7.2 November 2018 Revision 0 APFP Regulation 5(2)(q) Planning Act 2008 | Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedure) Regulations 2009 Project and its Benefits Report Riverside Energy Park Executive Summary Project and its Benefits Report – Executive Summary Riverside Energy Park Contents 1 The Project and its Benefits Report Executive Summary ............................ 1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 1 Overview ............................................................................................... 2 The Policy Driven Need for Major Energy Infrastructure ....................... 3 Positive Carbon Outcomes ................................................................... 4 Sustainable Waste Management .......................................................... 7 Optimised Site and Design .................................................................. 14 Conclusion .......................................................................................... 15 Figures Figure 1: The Project and its Benefits ......................................................................... 3 Figure 2: Figure 7.1 from CCC 2018 Report ............................................................. 10 Figure 3: Landfill facilities commonly used to dispose of London’s waste ............... 11 Figure 4: Collective capture rates in major European Cities ..................................... 13 Tables Table 1: Policies of Chapter 9, draft London Plan, Sustainable Infrastructure .......... 16 Page i Project and its Benefits Report – Executive Summary Riverside Energy Park 1 The Project and its Benefits Report Executive Summary Introduction Cory Environmental Holdings Limited (trading as Cory Riverside Energy) (‘the Applicant’ or ‘Cory’)) is applying to the Secretary of State under the Planning Act 2008 for powers to construct, operate and maintain an integrated Energy Park, to be known as Riverside Energy Park (REP). The principal elements of REP comprise complementary energy generating development (with energy from waste being the largest component) and an associated Electrical Connection (together referred to as the ‘Proposed Development’). REP is proposed on land immediately adjacent to Cory’s existing Riverside Resource Recovery Facility (RRRF) located at Belvedere within the London Borough of Bexley and would complement the operation of the existing facility as well as making greater use of existing river-based infrastructure in London. It would comprise an integrated range of technologies including: energy from waste (or waste energy recovery), an anaerobic digestion facility for food and green waste, solar panels and battery storage. Additionally, REP would include on site infrastructure to provide the potential for heat to be supplied to local housing and businesses. Key REP Policy Themes Key policy themes at the core of REP and the DCO submission are: Riverside Energy Park: Key REP Policy Themes Generating reliable low carbon/renewable energy for London and UK Bridging the infrastructure gap in London and the South East Replacing landfill - not recycling – and moving waste up the Waste Hierarchy Dealing with London’s residual waste problem - in London – and achieving greater net self-sufficiency for London Maximising movement of freight by river in London and minimising traffic congestion Tackling air quality and delivering carbon positive outcomes Bringing forward private investment – and avoiding the need for public subsidy Page 1 Project and its Benefits Report – Executive Summary Riverside Energy Park Cory Environmental Holdings Limited Cory has a long history and deep connection with London stretching back to 1896. Cory has invested heavily in London’s recycling, energy generation and river logistics infrastructure. In addition to its commercial customers, Cory is a trusted partner for a number of local authorities in London (serving a combined population of c.1.5 million people) and operates essential infrastructure which London relies heavily upon on a day to day basis. Cory’s shareholders also have a proven track record of investing in and delivering London’s essential ‘big ticket’ infrastructural needs (for example, the Thames Tideway Tunnel project) (see the Funding Statement - Document Reference 4.2). Accordingly, if the DCO is granted, the Secretary of State can be confident that the Proposed Development would likely be constructed and successfully delivered for London. REP would create approximately 85 new jobs in addition to the 365 people already employed by Cory in London. Cory is proud of its work in the community in London including with local schools, community groups and career apprenticeship schemes. Overview As demonstrated in Figure 1, REP is an efficient major energy project, taking non-recyclable waste as its feedstock to recover renewable/low carbon energy and secondary materials. The London Waste Strategy Assessment, the Applicant’s policy based assessment of REP against the adopted and draft London Plans, and independent market based research prepared by Tolvik Consulting Ltd, demonstrate the extent of need for new residual waste treatment facilities such as REP. Battery storage and district heating opportunities provide additional benefits, supplementing the diversity, resilience, and security of London’s energy supply sources. Major energy generating stations, such as REP, utilising proven treatment technology, are well established as a key component of sustainable communities. Beyond diverting waste from landfill and meeting climate change challenges, such facilities deliver essential energy infrastructure and societal, as well as economic and environmental benefits. Page 2 Project and its Benefits Report – Executive Summary Riverside Energy Park Figure 1: The Project and its Benefits The National Policy Statements EN-1 and EN-3 are clear in their objectives to achieve climate change driven priorities of: positive carbon outcomes and renewable/low carbon energy; sustainable waste management; and optimised design. REP responds directly to the outcomes sought through the National Policy Statements EN-1 and EN-3 and the London Plan (both the adopted Plan and draft Plan). It is a market led, industry funded project, requiring no form of government subsidy, which will make a significant contribution to delivering the urgent and substantial need for new energy, and waste disposal, infrastructure both in London and the UK. The Policy Driven Need for Major Energy Infrastructure The National Policy Statements EN-1 and EN-3 establish an urgent and substantial need for new energy generation infrastructure, making clear the expectation that the industry will provide this capacity through private led investment such as REP. Alongside the drive for new energy generation is the desire for it to be renewable or low carbon, in order to meet climate change targets. REP meets these policy objectives, delivering new energy capacity through a renewable/low carbon supply, with no public funding support or subsidy. Locally, policy of the London Plan is consistent with the National Policy Statements in seeking to: reduce London’s carbon emissions; gain decentralised energy supply; and divert waste away from landfill, through new treatment capacity that will enable London to be self-sufficient (by 2026). Page 3 Project and its Benefits Report – Executive Summary Riverside Energy Park Responding directly to the National Policy Statements and London Plan, REP: is an energy recovery facility that achieves a positive carbon outcome, not least through the recovery of renewable/low carbon electricity from otherwise useless residual waste and has good potential to also contribute to heat demand; is at the right level of the waste hierarchy and constitutes sustainable waste management capacity, taking waste away from landfill, moving it up the waste hierarchy and providing for the reuse of metals and ash as construction aggregates (reducing reliance on the quarrying of primary aggregates); and delivers good design, not least through incorporating a range of energy recovery and storage technologies, being CHP Enabled, and incorporating river freight as part of the multi-modal transport network thereby significantly reducing the number of trucks on London streets. The National Policy Statements establish the relevant tests against which to demonstrate the need case, for both energy supply and waste management. REP delivers the priority environmental, economic and societal benefits sought by the National Policy Statements - at no cost to the tax payer. Therefore, pursuant to section 104 of the Planning Act 2008, the Proposed Development should be consented. Positive Carbon Outcomes Recovering Renewable/Low Carbon Energy from waste disposal Above all, REP is a major energy infrastructure project recovering energy from waste and providing a reliable heat source for a future distribution network. The energy recovered through the Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) is confirmed as renewable/low carbon, with that recovered through the Anaerobic Digestion Facility and Solar Photovoltaic Panels confirmed as wholly renewable. The REP development will create reliable low/carbon renewable electricity to power the equivalent of c.140,000 homes per annum across London. The feedstock, or fuel,