A 13.6MW plasma assisted gasification plant has taken a step further after Waste2Tricity announced a concept design study for the facility.
Peel Environmental will provide a site for the plant that will treat 100,000 tonnes of residual household and commercial and industrial waste.
The project will use Westinghouse plasma assisted gasification from Alter NRG, after an agreement was reached where Alter NRG will have an option for a minority investment in return for providing a discounted licence for the technology.
It will use internal combustion engines to generate electricity from the syngas, but hopes to demonstrate AFC Energy’s alkaline fuel cells as they become available.
These fuel cells will enable an additional 43 per cent of energy to be exported from the facility using the same amount of feedstock.
Waste2Tricity chairman Peter Jones said: “We expect this to be the first of many similar programmes for the project partners in the UK.
“The 100,000 tonnes a year model will meet the localism agenda, using locally derived feedstock to supply electricity to local homes and businesses.
“We believe there is a potential market in the UK for up to 100 units of this size. Once we are able to deploy fuel cells, the output from our plants will increase substantially and be carbon capture ready, holding out the prospect of carbon negative electricity.”
