330 Million Multifuel Generation Plant in Ferrybridge, Yorkshire

Generating electricity by thermal waste treatment, Hitachi Zosen Inova (Switzerland) is to act as general contractor in the construc-tion of a multifuel plant at SEE’s Ferrybridge power station in West Yorkshire. The project is worth a total of CHF 330 million. With this newly awarded contract, Hitachi Zosen Inova – formed from the former Von Roll Inova – is further expanding its leading position as a turnkey supplier of thermal waste treatment plants in the UK.

The client for the new plant is Ferrybridge Multifuel Energy Ltd, a joint venture between SSE plc and Wheelabrator Technologies Inc. SSE is one of the leading energy utilities in the UK, while Wheelabrator Technologies is a US international owner and operator of energy-from-waste plants. Hitachi Zosen Inova was chosen for the construction of the facility in Fer-rybridge thanks to its comprehensive experience and references from comparable turn key projects.

The new plant, which has received Section 36 consent by the Department of Energy & Cli-mate Change following intensive environmental impact assessments, will be built on the site of the existing coal-fired power station in Ferrybridge. Construction will start in late 2012, and will be concluded in early 2015.

The multifuel facility will primarily be supplied with fuel from the Yorkshire region, and in par-ticular from the local councils in Barnsley, Rotherham, and Doncaster. Due to pioneering technology, so-called multifuel firing combustion plants can process various types of fuel simultaneously and in Ferrybridge the design allows for up to 42 tonness per hour to be pro-cessed in each of the two process lines. The energy generated by the 68 MW plant will be fed into the grid in the form of electricity, with an option to export heat if there is a local demand.

The contract to build the modern multifuel plant marks Hitachi Zosen Inova’s fifth project in the UK. Plants in Cleveland, Newhaven and Riverside, built by the company, in some cases under its former name of Von Roll Inova, are already in operation, and the extension of the Cleveland facility will be completed in 2013. The Swiss leader in EfW technology has thus displayed impressive continuity in its ability to deliver innovation and successfully tap into markets under the new ownership of the technology group Hitachi Zosen Corporation.