New Grangemouth energy centre will let off steam this month
Grangemouth’s massive multi-million pound Earls Gate Energy Centre will be expelling steam into the air for the next few months.
Located in Earls Gate Park, the facility is about to start construction of a new boiler, which will result in steam emitting the structure.
An Earls Gate Energy Centre spokesperson said: “In the coming weeks, construction of the back-up boiler is due to start. This will involve steam venting through a silencer which has been configured to ensure that noise levels remain low and well within the limits set out in our planning permission.
"We do not expect local residents to be disturbed, however, you may notice steam coming out of the stack. Initially, steam venting will take place daily from 7am to 6pm, however, from around the end of August to the end of September, commissioning of the back-up boiler will continue 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
The plant is expected to be fully operational in mid-2022, creating around 30 operational jobs which will be full-time, permanent positions with full training offered.
When the £210 million Earls Gate Energy Centre does become operational it is hoped it will prevent 216,000 tonnes of household and commercial waste from entering landfill annually.
It will also provide heat and power for nearby CalaChem and adjacent industrial plants, and export any surplus electricity produced to the National Grid.
According to developers, the technology involved – Energy from Waste (EfW) Combined Heat and Power (CHP) – in the new facilty is seen by many as the most environmentally sustainable solution for the management of residual municipal waste.
In the process of preventing over 200,000 tonnes of household and commercial waste from entering landfill, it will convert the waste into 79GWh of green electricity and 81GWh of heat in the form of steam.
The facility will also decarbonise CalaChem’s annual energy consumption to an amount equivalent to taking around 17,000 cars off the road for a year.
The centre, which is being built French construction firm CNIM – responsible for delivering 163 energy from waste plants all over the world – will be operated by MES Environmental, a subsidiary of CNIM, for a contract duration of 25 years.