Following an extensive design and development phase, M+W Group will engineer, procure and construct (EPC) a new 12.5 MWe thermal treatment plant alongside a new Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) on the site at Levenseat in Lanarkshire. M+W Group was selected as the main contractor based on the company's in-house engineering expertise, understanding of the treatment process as well as its demonstrable track record of safely delivering major complex facilities to the highest international standards.
In addition to being the first major new waste treatment and management facility in Levenseat, the new infrastructure will be the first of its kind in the UK, combining fluidised bed gasification technology and Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) processed by the MRF. Fluidised bed gasification technology provides a more efficient syngas from biomass than traditional incineration techniques.
Over the lifetime of the new facility, it is estimated that the Levenseat facility will recycle over a million tonnes of materials including plastics, metals, paper and aggregates. This will save around 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and help divert over 1.4 million tonnes of waste that would otherwise go to landfill. Exporting over 30Gwh of heat and 750GWh of electricity every year, it will produce enough electricity to supply the equivalent of around 18,000 homes.
Specialising in advanced thermal waste treatment solutions, M+W Group has proven expertise in the design, process engineering and construction of major complex projects, using project finance and other funding mechanisms. When the new facilities at Levenseat, due for completion in 2017 come on stream, they will play a key role in helping Scotland achieve its waste and recycling targets. With a stated aim of being a "Zero Waste Society", the Scottish Government has set a target for 70% of all waste to be recycled with a maximum of 5% of household waste going to Landfill by 2025. The new £111 million energy and recycling plant will be important part of enabling those targets to be met.
Peter Greenhalgh, M+W Group Joint CEO EMEA stated: "Energy is a core sector for M+W Group. We have now secured major programmes of work in waste to energy and nuclear in the UK based on our ability to demonstrate the value of applying global engineering expertise to enable performance certainty in these industry sectors We are looking forward to successfully delivering the new infrastructure that will enable Levenseat to play a strategically important role in helping Scotland achieve its long term, low-carbon future".
