The Allington plant in Kent is an example of a new large-scale WtE plant. The plant started to operate in 2006 and cost £150 million. It processes 500,000 tonnes per year of waste, collected from 7 districts and generates 34 Megawatts of electricity. The cost also includes a recycling facility.
65% of the plant capacity will be met from household resources, and the remainder of the waste will come from commercial sources.
Left is a picture of the Allington plant.
The Tyseley plant in Birmingham has been operated since 1996 and cost around £95 million. It processes 350,000 tonnes of waste per year and generates 25 Megawatts of electricity.
Right is a picture of the Tyseley plant.
It is unfortunate that neither plant uses its generated heat for useful purposes in nearby industry, but in the case of the Allington plant, David has been informed that this is being looked at for the future All large-scale UK WtE plants, including these examples, use combustion technology.