project overview
UK-based company MVV Environment Ltd plans to develop a new energy from waste combined heat and power facility generating electricity and steam on land at Algores Way, Wisbech.
If successful, a new company, to be called ‘MVV Environment Medworth,’ will be looking to employ local people to help build, operate and maintain the facility.
The proposed energy from waste combined heat and power facility will divert over half a million tonnes of non-recyclable waste from landfill every year, generating over 50 megawatts of electricity and offering the opportunity to supply steam to local factories.
The development includes not just the energy from waste facility but also the connections to the electricity grid and industrial heat users, and some modifications to the road network. Further details on the development, and how its environmental impacts will be assessed, can be found in the FAQs section.
The total investment will be over £300 million, and it is anticipated that construction will take around three years, during this time employing up to 700 people.
DIVERTS OVER HALF A
MILLION TONNES
OF NON- RECYCLABLE
WASTE FROM LANDFILL
GENERATES OVER
50 MEGAWATTS
OF ELECTRICITY ENOUGH
TO POWER 74,000 HOMES
where is it going to be?
what is Energy from Waste?
Energy from Waste (or EfW) is the generation of partly renewable electricity and/or usable heat from non-recyclable waste that would otherwise go to landfill in the UK, or to other countries as 'Refuse Derived Fuel'.
Like any power facility, the heat from the burning waste is used to boil water and generate steam which turns a turbine to drive a generator. Efficiencies can be increased if some of the steam can be used for heating e.g. industrial processes such as cooking food.read more
Medworth Energy from Waste CHP Facility aims to -
- Recover useful, sustainable, energy from residual municipal waste
- Divert around half a million tonnes of non-recyclable waste per annum from landfill, depending on waste composition
- Generate over 50 MW of electricity
- Generate up to 30 MW of usable steam heat
- Supply electricity and heat to local industrial customers
- Export surplus electricity to the national grid
what will it look like?
what is the need for this project?
Non-recyclable waste from the East of England region currently contributes to the UK’s circa 3 million tonnes per year of waste that is exported to continental Europe, where it is used as fuel in Energy from Waste facilities.
MVV look to bring their expertise to the area and create a new business for Wisbech to avoid transporting the waste overseas and to generate decentralised, and in part, renewable energy for local businesses. Currently too much waste still goes to landfill.
- Landfill is not sustainable and wastes energy resources in the waste
- Provision of useful energy displaces fossil fuels
- Efficient EfW competes against landfill, not recycling
- We need to follow the waste hierarchy
the waste hierarchy
1. Reduce the amount of waste we create
2. Reuse as much as possible
3. Recycle more
4. Recover energy
5. Residues to landfill
who are MVV?
- MVV UK is part of the MVV Energie AG group
- Approx. 6,000 employees
- 3.9 billion € turnover
- MVV’s history
1873 - City of Mannheim takes over the gasworks
1923 - First Mannheim power plant operated by MVV
1964 - First CHP power plant fuelled by waste
1999 - Privatisation to MVV Energie AG
2008 - Expansion into the UK - 50.1% owned by the local authority - Mannheim City Council
meet the team
Our UK development team is a small group of experts from across the UK business, with specialist knowledge in their given areas. You may recognise these faces from our public exhibitions in July 2021.
Paul Carey
Managing Director
Paul Carey
Managing Director
Paul has 30 years' experience in electricity generation and Energy from Waste. For MVV he is responsible for the development of the company in the UK waste and renewable energy sectors. He is one of three Managing Directors for all of MVV's UK companies, including two Energy from Waste facilities and one biomass facility.
Paul is a chartered engineer and his previous experience includes large and small scale fossil fuel and renewable energy generation. Since joining MVV in 2008, he has been instrumental in building the company in the UK. From a core team of seven people, he has seen the company grow to over 140 employees.
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Gerran McCrea
Head of Development
Gerran McCrea
Head of Development
Gerran was one of MVV UK's first employees, joining the Company in May 2009. She was responsible for identifying development opportunities as part of the new UK team and for developing the Integrated Management System and IT functions.
In 2014, her role was broadened to Commercial Development Manager; with continuing responsibility for new projects and business system development, together with the management of the SWDWP PFI contract. Since 2018, Gerran has been employed as MVV's Head of Development in the UK with a continuing focus on delivering new projects and the development of MVV UK's business systems.
Gerran has worked in the waste industry for over 35 years and, prior to joining MVV, worked as a Director for Alchemy Metals, Head of Waste Operations for Cambridgeshire County Council and as a Director of Donarbon Waste Management.
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Swen Grossgebauer
Local Authority Development Manager
Swen Grossgebauer
Local Authority Development Manager
Swen joined MVV in January 2009, as part of the German Engineering Team, to coordinate the technical design of our Plymouth project before it entered the construction phase. Following this he moved to the German Development Team, relocating to the UK in 2018 to join the UK Development Team. He is responsible for managing Local Authority waste tenders and other projects.
Swen previously undertook research at the Bauhaus University, Weimar, developing optimisation of combustion processes and supporting student education on renewable energy and heat and mass transfer calculations.
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James Ashton
Head of Engineering
James Ashton
Head of Engineering
James joined MVV in February 2014 as Electrical, Control and Instrumentation Engineer for our Plymouth project during the final stages of construction and leading on to the commissioning phase. He set up the EC&I maintenance function before joining the commissioning team, where he played a key role in commissioning and gained an in-depth knowledge of operating the facility. In January 2016, he was promoted to Operations Manager where he successfully developed the operational procedures and nurtured the operations team whilst they got to know and understand the new facility.
He has been responsible for ensuring the quality of and improvements to the process, as well as driving continuous improvements to the overall operation of the Devonport EfW CHP Facility. In October 2017, he worked a 4-month secondment, as Operations Manager at our Ridham Dock Biomass Facility. His contribution to the wider business has been recognised with his promotion to Head of Engineering for the UK in August 2019.
Prior to working for MVV, James worked in the offshore oil exploration industry as an EC&I Engineer on drilling rigs and, more recently, for an MOD subcontractor as a Strategic Weapon System Engineer on the Trident D5 missile system.
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Tim Marks
Head of Planning
Tim Marks
Head of Planning
Tim joined MVV in October 2019 to support the Medworth project. Tim is responsible for coordinating the preparation of the Development Consent Order planning application and environmental permit.
After gaining an Applied BSc (Hons) in Environmental Geology, where he studied how human behaviour interacts with the natural environment, Tim commenced his career in planning with Cambridgeshire County Council. Here, Tim managed strategic planning applications for schools, social service centres and waste developments across Fenland, whilst studying part-time for a MA in Town Planning. Over the past ten years, Tim has focused on waste planning issues in Cambridgeshire.
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Jane Ford
Communications and Community Relations Manager
Jane Ford
Communications and Community Relations Manager
Jane joined MVV in February 2012 to support our Plymouth project as it entered the construction phase. She is responsible for stakeholder communications and delivery of waste minimisation education on behalf of the South West Devon Waste Partnership, as well as supporting stakeholder communications on new projects, such as Medworth.
Jane was previously a primary school teacher in Plymouth and has a wealth of community volunteering experience; more recently, she gained her MSc in Learning for Sustainability from Plymouth University.
previousour experience with Energy from Waste
On the map graphic there are coloured spots that represent each of our energy from waste facilities.
Click on a spot to learn more about each site.
Dundee Lines 1 and 2
Launch of operations - Lines 1 and 2, 1999
Waste types - Municipal waste and commercial and industrial waste
Firing - Fluidised bed
Number of boilers - 2
Throughput - 10 T/h
Dundee Line 3
153,000 tpa
Launch of operations - Due 2020
Waste types - Municipal waste and commercial and industrial waste
Firing - Forward feed grate
Number of boilers - 1
Waste bunker - Reception bunker (750 m3) plus storage bunker (4,200 m3)
Annual throughput - Up to 153,000 tpa
Design calorific value - 10,500 kJ/kg
Live steam production - 49.1 T/h
Electricity production - 10 MW
Flörsheim-Wicker Biomass
110,000 tpa
Launch of operations - 2003
Timber types - AI – All timbers
Firing - Travelling grate with spreader-suspension firing
Storage capacity - Approx. 450 tpa
Annual throughput - 110,000 tpa
Reported calorific value - 15,400 kJ/kg
Electricity production - 115,000 MWh/a
Gersthofen
90,000 tpa
Launch of operations - 2009
Waste types - Refuse derived fuel
Firing - Grate firing
Number of boilers - 1
Waste bunker - 3,000 m³
Annual throughput - 90,000 tpa
Design calorific value -
Live steam production - 40 T/h
Electricity production - 30,000 MWh/a
Steam export - 320,000 tpa
Königs Wusterhausen Biomass
120,000 tpa
Launch of operations - 2003
Timber types - AI - AIV timbers
Firing - Circulating fluidised bed firing
Timber silo - 2 x 7,500m3 intake volume
Annual throughput - 120,000 tpa
Treatment capacity - 50 T/h
Reported calorific value - 15,400 kJ/kg
Electrical efficiency - > 35 percent
Electricity production - 160.000 MWh/a
Korbach
76,000 tpa
Cogeneration plant - 36 MW firing capacity, 44 t/h steam output
RDF mass throughput - Max. 75,700 tpa
Auxiliary boiler system approved - 44 MW firing capacity
1 natural gas and 1 combined boiler - 22 MW firing capacity each, 28 t/h steam output
Steam turbine capacity - 4.1 MW
Fuel efficiency rate - 69%
Heating energy supply - 160,000 MWh/a
Electricity supply - 6,000 MWh/a
Leuna
390,000 tpa
Launch of operations - 2005 / 2007
Waste types - Mixed municipal solid waste and industrial and commercial waste
Firing - Forward-acting reciprocal grate
Waste bunker - 20,000 m³ intake volume
Annual throughput - 390,000 tpa
Design calorific value - 11,000 kJ/kg
Live steam production - Up to approx. 1.4 million tpa at 40 bar/400 °C
Electricity production - Up to 250,000 MWh/a
Steam - Up to 120 T/h steam output
Residual materials - 120,000 tpa scoria / 38,000 tpa filter ash
Liberec
96,000 tpa
Launch of operations - 2000
Waste types - Municipal waste and commercial and industrial waste
Firing - Travelling grate
Number of boilers - 1
Waste bunker - 3,000m3
Annual throughput - 96,000 tpa
Design calorific value - 7,200 to 12,560 kJ/kg
Live steam production - 37 T/h
Electricity production - 23,500 MWh/a
Steam export - 30 T/h
Mannheim
700,000 tpa
Launch of operations - 1965 / 1997 / 2003 / 2009
Waste types - Mixed municipal solid waste and industrial and commercial waste
Firing - Forward-acting reciprocal grate
Number of boilers - 3
Waste bunker - 34,000 m³ intake volume
Annual throughput - 700,000 tpa
Design calorific value - Boilers 4 + 5 – 9,600 kJ/kg / Boiler 6 – 12,500 kJ/kg
Live steam production - Up to 2.2 million tpa, between 40 and 65 bar, 385–430° C
Electricity production - 300,000 MWh/a
Steam - 65 T/h steam output at normal capacity
Residual materials - 162,500 tpa scoria / 25,000 tpa filter dust
Mannheim Biomass
140,000 tpa
Launch of operations - 2003
Timber types - AI - AIV timbers
Firing - Travelling grate with spreader-suspension firing
Storage capacity - Approx. 5,000 tpa
Annual throughput - Approx. 5,000 tpa
Treatment capacity - 50 T/h
Reported calorific value - 15,400 kJ/kg
Electricity production - 160,000 MWh/a
Offenbach
250,000 tpa
Launch of operations - 1970
Waste types - Municipal waste and commercial and industrial waste
Number of boilers - 3
Waste bunker - 6,000m³
Annual throughput - 250,000 tpa
Design calorific value - 9,900 kJ/kg
Live steam production - 22.7 to 45 t/h
Electricity production - 80,065 MWh/a
Steam export - 675,641 tpa
Plymouth
265,000 tpa
Launch of operations - 2015
Waste types - Municipal waste and commercial and industrial waste
Firing - Forward feed grate
Number of boilers - 1
Waste bunker - More than 10 days capacity
Annual throughput - Up to 265,000 tpa
Design calorific value - 9,500 kJ/kg
Live steam production - Approx. 820,000 tpa at 60 bar, 420 °C
Electricity production - 190,000 MWh/a
Staff - 30 employees
Ridham Dock Biomass
172,000 tpa
Launch of operations - 2015
Timber types - Grade B and C waste wood
Firing - Kablitz forward acting grate
Number of boilers - 1
Wood store - Wood yard with 5,000 tonnes capacity
Annual throughput - 172,000 tpa
Design calorific value - 14,000 kJ/kg
Live steam production - 103 T/h at 460oC and 69 Bar
Electricity production - 25.42 MW
FAQs
We have compiled a list of frequently asked questions, but please get in touch if you can't find what you are looking for.
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energy from waste
Treating non-recyclable waste as a resource by diverting it from landfill and using it as a fuel.
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