ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY ACROSS THE UK

Energy from Waste – a key component of the UK energy mix

Ian GoodfellowChairman, ESA MD Shanks UK

ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY ACROSS THE UK

ESA and industry context

ESA: voice of the waste management industry (membership = 85% of the sector)

An £11bn industry in transition• Shift away from landfill• Wider range of technologies• Both an energy user (eg MRFs) and increasingly a

supplier

ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY ACROSS THE UK

Estimates of waste infrastructure investment needed to meet UK waste targets range from £7.5bn to £20bn by 2020.

• 20-40,000 new jobs• £2bn permanent increase in GDP• Major carbon savings

Green growth

ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY ACROSS THE UK

Energy from waste

Source: DECC, Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics, 2010

1. In 2009, EfW plants and landfill gas were generating 7.5TWh electricity – more than 4x offshore wind

2. More than 27 million tonnes of municipal and C&I waste is still going to landfill in the UK – an additional 15 TWh of electricity

3. Waste heat from EfW plants is largely an untapped resourceElectricity generated by source

11.7 12.6 13.8 15.618.8

1.5 1.71.9

2.0

2.4

4.3 4.44.7

4.8

5.0

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

TWh

Landfi l l  gas

Waste  combustion

Al l  other renewables

ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY ACROSS THE UK

Issues• EFW can support industrial competitiveness

• Most EFW plants have scope for CHP – but struggle to find bankable heat offtake options

• Planning remains a major headache for EFW