18/04/2005 - The Environment
Agency has confirmed today that it has received
an application for a permit under the Pollution
Prevention and Control Legislation (PPC) for
the Eastcroft Municipal Waste Incinerator
in Nottingham.
The application includes the two existing
waste-burning chambers and a request to install
and operate a third waste-burning chamber,
which would feed into the existing stack.
Now that the application has been received,
our technical-specialists have started the
process of considering it. It will be placed
on the Public Register at both the Environment
Agency and Nottingham City Council. Both statutory
and non-statutory consultees will be asked
to comment on the application.
The PPC regulations were implemented in 1999
to protect the environment as a whole by preventing
and controlling emissions to air, land and
water in an integrated way.
There has been a phased introduction of the
regulations for different sectors of industry,
with municipal waste incinerators such as
Eastcroft having to apply by 31 March 2005.
In order to get a permit, the incinerator
will have to meet the new, much tighter emission
limits, set by the Waste Incineration Directive.
A PPC permit will only be issued when we
are satisfied that Eastcroft’s operation and
that of the proposed expansion will not impact
on the environment and human health. It is
expected that the consideration of the application
will take at least four months.
Environment Agency Area Environment Manager,
Greg Broughton, says: ‘Now we’ve received
an application, we can start assessing it.
This process will involve considering factors
such as the suitability of the proposed technology
and the characteristics of the emissions.
"We will ask organisations such as local
councils and the Primary Care Trust for their
opinions.
‘Public input into this process is important
and people will get the opportunity to do
this. Comments on the application should be
sent, in writing, to the Strategic Permitting
Group, Environment Agency, Trentside Offices,
West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 5FA.
‘We will only issue a permit if we are sure
the expansion, and the operation of Eastcroft
in general, will not have an adverse impact
on the environment and human health.’
Notes:
Eastcroft incinerator is located on the banks
of the River Trent near Nottingham city centre.
It has two existing waste-burning chambers,
, with a total capacity 150,000 tonnes per
annum. The existing plant sends steam to the
London Road Heat Station where the steam is
used either for a district heating scheme
(that serves both local people and public
buildings) or to generate electricity for
export to the national grid.
The proposed expansion will have a capacity
of 100,000 tons per annum. It would also include
a combined heat and power (CHP) plant with
surplus electricity going to the national
grid.
The site started operation in 1973. There
was a major upgrade in 1996 to meet the requirements
of the Municipal Waste Incineration Directive,
which significantly reduced releases of dioxins
and other pollutants.
The Waste Incineration Directive conditions
that will be implemented via the PPC permit
will impose new, much tighter limits on emissions
to air.
