We are pleased to introduce plans for the North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park (NLGEP), a large-scale Energy Recovery Facility estimated to cost up to £1Bn that will expand Solar 21’s project portfolio on a significant scale.  Deemed a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project because of its scale, the project is subject to a statutory planning process where formal public consultation is required. The public consultation was successfully completed in July 2021, the results of which will inform the planning application due to be submitted in the coming months.

NLGEP will use a combination of proven technologies to recover energy from waste and use as many of the by-products as possible.  At its core is an Energy Recovery Facility, generating up to 95 megawatts of electricity from 380 megawatts of thermal energy. To ensure the greatest possible efficiency, this will sit alongside 10 megawatts of hydrogen storage, 30 megawatts of battery storage, 120 tonnes of steam storage and an ash treatment facility.

We need to find alternatives to fossil fuels and our plans will see enough low carbon energy generated to power over 221,000 homes every year. We are also planning hydrogen, heat and battery storage and a hydrogen bus pilot scheme potentially in Scunthorpe. The hydrogen produced could be used as a clean fuel for vehicles or to decarbonise the gas network.

NLGEP will be one of the first energy recovery facilities in the UK to use carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology, now considered an essential part of the UK’s climate change strategy. Some of the carbon dioxide will be captured, stored and utilised on site in the manufacture of concrete blocks using fly ash from the energy recovery process. We are exploring the possibility of linking to the Drax carbon pipeline planned for the Humber once that project is consented and built.

The ERF will make a major contribution to waste management across the region, using up to 760,000 tonnes of residual waste, that might otherwise go to landfill or be exported. In doing so it will generate enough energy to meet the needs of up to 221,000 homes. It could also provide power, heat and cooling to the proposed new hospital in Scunthorpe.

The plans for the plant include a plastic recycling facility which will break down the polymers in plastics so that they can be reformed and used again. This facility is expected to divert 20,000 tonnes of plastic from landfill or export each year.

The construction phase will see up to 600 people working onsite. Once complete, NLGEP will create more than 250 permanent jobs, from apprentices to thermal energy specialists. We anticipate that by providing low-carbon heat and power, the North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park could create an attractive place for businesses to locate. In addition, this could see the creation of more than a further 1,000 jobs in the supply chain.

For more information on this innovative project, please see: www.northlincolnshiregreenenergypark.co.uk

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