Peterborough Renewable Energy Ltd (PREL) has received approval from the Department of Energy and Climate Change's Under Secretary of State David Kidney, a member of parliament (MP), to build the first Energy Park in the UK. The park will take mixed waste and recycle and re-manufacture every single element to produce renewable energy, glass, building blocks, metals and compounds. PREL has put eight years of work into this project.
The Energy Park will deliver up to 100% recycling and offer positive carbon benefits – with just one plant saving 600,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and producing enough renewable energy to power 60,000 homes.
The PREL process brings together mechanical recycling, food waste digestion, gasification, and plasma melting – in one location – to provide a zero-landfill solution for society’s rubbish.
The first Energy Park will be built in Peterborough and will bring over 300 jobs during the construction phase and 109 skilled green collar jobs once operational. If rolled out to achieve the 4,000 MW of biomass power needed to meet the renewable requirement for 2020 for the UK, PREL is confident that a network of energy parks could deliver a saving of 36 million tonnes of green house gas and create over 5,000 jobs.
David Kidney said “This plant will provide reliable, low carbon energy for years to come. The UK needs to generate 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, and energy from biomass could contribute as much as a third of that.
“Meeting our target means we have to follow the East of England’s example and build more plants like this,” said David.
PREL Managing Director Chris Williams said “We are delighted that the Government has given us the go ahead to build the first Renewable Energy Park in the UK.
“As a nation we have set ourselves very ambitious renewables targets and only by embracing renewable technologies such as PREL’s will we be able to achieve these, said Williams.
“Waste can be a valuable resource and using it in a sustainable way will play an essential role in making our future more green,” continued Williams.
Peterborough MP Stewart Jackson said “Innovative initiatives such as these are exactly what we need to help us to meet our renewables targets and confirm our place as a leader in renewables technology.
“I am extremely proud to have Peterborough Renewable Energy Ltd based in my constituency, and they are leading the way in innovative solutions in this sector, said Jackson.
“I look forward to seeing the positive environmental benefits that the Energy Park will bring for Peterborough, significantly reducing our carbon footprint, diverting waste from landfill and creating jobs in green industry,” added Jackson.