Hownsgill Energy Centre, Consett
Hownsgill Energy Centre is a new small-scale, community-focused energy recovery facility proposed for Consett in County Durham. As well as supporting climate change efforts, it will generate enough clean renewable energy to power the equivalent of 8,000 homes while encouraging new green jobs, investment and further regeneration for the area.
Contact
☎ all enquiries to:
info@hownsgillenergycentre.co.uk
The benefits:
Clean, low carbon, renewable energy production - 3.7MW electricity or 17MW heat (or a combination thereof)
Over £30+million of private investment in the local area
Encouraging a further £10million of wider investment projects for Consett
Up to 70 new jobs during the construction and commissioning phase
Up to 35 new green jobs (operations, maintenance, support and supply chain) over the next five year period
Fully complies with Durham County Council’s Waste Policy (2020 County Plan)
Supporting local, regional and national climate change/carbon reduction efforts on a community level
Local community benefits:
Possible private connections to local housing developments to supply low carbon heat/power via a ‘power purchase agreement’
Possible supply of power to new district hospital and care village on the adjacent Derwent View site
Encourage further regeneration for the local area (e.g. a new £6 million solar farm providing up to 7MW of zero carbon energy) and smart-grid infra-structure for LV distribution
Creation of a new, dedicated community energy company generating local power for local residents and reduced energy costs of up to 20% compared to current tariffs (helping towards reducing fuel poverty)
Providing certainty, reliance and a constant power supply for homes and businesses
Links with local schools and community groups to educate on low carbon energy efficiency and smart waste management.
Proposed facility:
· Specifically designed to be one of the UK’s smallest-scale facilities of this nature
· 22m high building (28,000 sq ft area) with 50m high stack – ie 1/3 of the size of Tesco Consett
· A ‘fully-contained’ building using advanced technologies (controlling and eliminating all odours)
· Storing a maximum of three days’ fuel at any one time
· Preventing 60,000 tonnes of waste from going to landfill sites
· Closing for two weeks each summer (maintenance) with a gas turbine providing power supply
“This is a fantastic opportunity for Consett to take the lead and drive forward a scheme that not only provides a catalyst for further investment, jobs and regeneration, but also enables residents to directly benefit and make a shift to using green, locally-produced, low carbon renewable energy.”
The renewables process:
Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) to be processed offsite at other waste management/recycling centres
(ie not at Hownsgill Energy Centre)
RDF will be transported as ‘contained/sealed bales’ during working hours only (9am-5pm Mon-Fri) using curtain sider wagons (estimated 12 per day)
Vehicles will unload once inside the Centre, with roller shutters fully closed.
Fuel will be burned to generate heat to a steam boiler which is driving a steam turbine to generate renewable electricity.
Alternatively, this could heat water for local district heat networks and exchangers before returning to the facility for re-circulation
Renewable power generation (electricity) will connect to Consett Primary Sub-Station and sold onto the National Grid
Taking responsibility for and ownership of our waste:
There is a serious problem in County Durham (and the wider UK). We need to significantly reduce the amount of waste going into landfill, buried for generations to come, as well as being exported abroad. We need to take ownership and responsibility now for the waste that we produce on a local community level. We cannot continue to turn a blind eye, not knowing or caring how our waste is disposed of despite it being generated by us within our own area.
We have the opportunity now to instead, turn our own waste into renewable energy, generating green, low carbon heat and power for the Consett community.
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