The ‘energy recovery’ process takes materials that would otherwise go to landfill and uses them to produce clean, sustainable power. Even the residual material left at the end of the process has value - for example, some residue can be used in the construction industry.

Tata Chemicals Europes proposed Sustainable Energy Plant would use solid fuel derived from pre-treated waste that is supplied from waste treatment and biomass facilities. It would use approx 600,000 tonnes of fuel per year, to produce up to 60MW of electricity and around 100 tonnes per hour of steam.

The non-hazardous fuel would be delivered to the new plant pre-treated and ready for use, with recyclables such as metal and glass removed. The fuel would include pre-treated municipal solid waste (MSW), industrial and commercial waste (C&I), solid recovered fuel (SRF) and some biomass.

The fuel will be supplied from waste treatment facilities in the North West and further afield. Tata Chemicals Europe will have no involvement in the collection or processing of the waste. No raw waste – including human or animal – would be used in our plant.

A treatment facility for residues will be located on the Tata Chemicals Europe site for the treatment of bottom ash. The treated bottom ash will be reused as far as possible, for example for block making. Any that cannot be reused will be sent to appropriate disposal sites.

• Waste is an excellent fuel and there is an abundant supply of potential fuel for a Sustainable Energy Plant.
• Using waste as a replacement for fossil fuels results in lower climate-damaging emissions of CO2 and methane.
• A 60MW power station, such as Tata Chemicals Europe’s proposed new Sustainable Energy Plant, can produce enough energy for 45,000 homes.
• Around 60% of domestic waste in the UK consists of wood, paper and cardboard.
• In the UK, methane emissions from biodegradable waste in landfill account for 40% of all methane emissions, and three per cent of all our greenhouse gas emissions.
• As a greenhouse gas, methane is 23 times more damaging than carbon dioxide. Using pre-treated waste as a fuel prevents these landfill emissions and means we use less fossil fuel to generate our power.
• Cost of landfilling waste is set to rise significantly due to increased taxation. This will result in increased council taxes unless alternatives to landfilling are found.