Veridis – energy from waste

An overview of plans for Northern Ireland’s first major energy from waste project.

Veridis Energy believes that its proposed energy from waste (EfW) plant on the outskirts of Belfast provides a ‘win-win’ solution for diverting waste from landfill. Despite encountering many obstacles, Jim Lynas and Harry McCourt have remained committed to their vision of creating Northern Ireland’s first major EfW designed to accept the residual fraction of municipal, commercial and industrial wastes which can not be recycled or composted.

This shared vision would make a valuable contribution to both waste recycling and power generation in Northern Ireland, whilst helping the Executive, councils and the private sector to dramatically reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

Earlier this year, Harry’s drive and knowledge within the global waste arena was rewarded when his other company, EMS Ltd in Portadown, was awarded a multi-million pound contract by the Kurdistan government to help it find sustainable solutions and develop infrastructure to target its growing waste problems. Likewise, Jim’s sister company IRS recently received planning consent for a new state of the art recycling facility which will ensure that all recyclable material is recovered prior to thermal treatment.

Strategic importance

Co-owner of the Veridis project, Jim Lynas sees the plant as playing a vital role in dealing with waste which is currently going to landfill whilst meeting the challenge to generate more ‘green’ heat and electricity.

“The benefits of the project for Northern Ireland’s economy are significant. We believe that the project will help solve our over reliance on landfill whilst creating a secure and sustainable renewable energy source. We are already recycling and recovering materials, so only those wastes which cannot be recycled will be recovered as fuel for the EfW,” he added.

The company is only too aware of the hefty EU fines that Northern Ireland will incur if strict landfill reduction targets are not met Jim said. “We are making every effort to communicate our proposals and clarify any concerns that politicians and the public may have. The project provides a single solution to many environmental, commercial and energy related issues.”

As a facility that provides both heat and power, it will contribute to Northern Ireland’s renewable energy targets and in particular Northern Ireland’s strategic goal of 40 per cent renewable electricity generation by 2020. The facility will generate 12.5 MW of renewable power which is enough to supply 20,000 homes.

The project represents a capital investment of over £40 million with the potential for a large percentage of that being invested as sub-contracts for local steel fabrication, electrical, mechanical and IT companies.

“The project is expected to create over 100 construction jobs and up to 40 permanent posts with further spin-off and auxiliary posts during construction and subsequent operations. In times of economic crisis, this private sector investment has to be a welcome opportunity for the people of North Belfast and further afield.”

Technology

Jim and Harry have sourced reliable and environmentally sound technologies for their proposal. “We have worked in partnership with our technology provider, carefully selecting ‘Best available technology.’ We have chosen this particular combustion technology due to its proven track record right across Europe,” Harry commented. Commenting on potential concerns over environmental impacts, Jim explained: “I understand people’s concerns regarding waste treatment plants. Our facility is designed to minimise impacts on the surrounding countryside whilst ensuring that state of the art low emissions technology protects the environment. We are also working proactively with the regulatory authorities to bring an impacted site back into beneficial use.” Jim concluded: “Veridis is committed to developing the project within a timeframe.”

For further information on the Veridis Project please contact Edward Hanna (Head of Strategic Operations and Public Affairs) at

edwardhanna@veridisenergy.com

Web: www.veridisenergy.com