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You are here: CIWM  >  Publications  >  Latest News  >  LWARB Supports Orchids Renewable Fuel Facility

LWARB Supports Orchids Renewable Fuel Facility

05 April 2011

The London Waste and Recycling Board (LWARB) has awarded a £4 million loan to Orchid Environmental Limited, to develop a waste to renewable facility in the London Borough of Bexley.

With a capacity of handling and processing 160,000 tonnes of rubbish, the plant will treat waste with steam, before using a series of screening and separating technologies to remove recyclables, such as glass, metals and plastics. It will transform the rubbish into a range of secondary recovered fuels that can be used in renewable energy plants and by industrial heat users, preventing over 38,000 tonnes of carbon emissions from being pumped into the atmosphere each year. The waste collected from homes and businesses in the surrounding areas will provide its feedstock.

The plant's site is located within an industrial area in the Belvedere ward of Bexley and its construction is nearing completion. The facility will be fully operational by early 2013 and will create 52 permanent green jobs.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: 'This project is a fantastic example of the green economy in action, transforming London's rubbish into energy and creating new, permanent jobs."

James Cleverly, chair of LWARB, said: "Every day we put potentially useful resources in our rubbish, which in many cases ends up in landfill. Orchid's low carbon fuel production plant turns those resources into something useful. This not only reduces our reliance on fossil fuel sources, it will also create green jobs for the capital and divert up to 160,000 tonnes rubbish from entering the waste stream."

Commenting on the decision made by LWARB, Steve Whatmore, MD of Orchid Environmental Ltd, said: "We welcome LWARB's fantastic demonstration of support for Orchids planned London facility and the recognition of the positive contribution this third Orchid merchant plant will make to London's carbon agenda."

Orchid Environmental Limited is the first waste to renewable fuel plant to be supported by the Board and is the fourth large-scale waste infrastructure project that LWARB has financed.

Krishna Buddhiraju