Wolverhampton EfW

North Midlands Operations Ltd (NMOL) operates and maintains the following energy from waste (EfW) facilities:

Wolverhampton EfW Plant, Crown Street, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV1 1QB

This plant was commissioned in 1997 and has a licenced capacity to process 118,000 tonnes of waste per annum. The plant is fitted with two CNIM boilers. Each boiler is capable of processing up to 7 tonnes of waste to produce 20 tonnes of steam per hour. The steam is used to generate up to 8MW of electricity, which is fed back into the national grid to provide power for up to 16,000 homes.

The main source of fuel to power the plant is mixed municipal waste.

The plant returned to the City of Wolverhampton Council (CWC) control in February 2023, and following a public procurement exercise, NMOL was awarded the services contract by CWC to continue the operation and maintenance of the plant.

Stoke (Hanford) EfW Plant, Campbell Road, Sideway, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire ST4 4DX

This plant was commissioned in 1997 and has a licenced capacity to process 210,000 tonnes of waste per annum. The plant is fitted with two CNIM boilers. Each boiler is capable of processing up to 12.5 tonnes of waste to produce 36 tonnes of steam per hour. The steam is used to generate up to15MW of electricity, which is fed back into the national grid to provide power for up to 30,000 homes.

The main source of fuel to power the plant is mixed municipal waste.

NMOL operates and maintains this plant on behalf of Hanford Waste Services.

Power generated from municipal waste is an important form of renewable of energy, helping to decarbonise the energy system by replacing fossil fuels. By using non-recyclable material for fuel, EfW facilities also help to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

The facility processes mixed municipal waste commonly also referred to as “black bag” waste. It does not accept waste which is classified as hazardous or biomass.

The facility is owned by the City of Wolverhampton Council, who also provide the fuel to the facility

North Midlands Operations Limited operates and maintains the facility.
Grade A is ‘clean’ recycled wood produced from pallets and secondary manufacture.

Grade B may contain Grade A wood, together with other waste wood sourced from construction and demolition activities, waste transfer stations, civic amenity sites and the manufacture of furniture from solid wood.

Grade C is made up of reclaimed waste wood from discarded furniture and other wooden fixtures and fittings. It can include MDF and chipboard material as well as wood.

The facility will not accept waste wood which is classified as hazardous.

Our EfW plants consist of two parallel incineration streams, each comprising a furnace, boiler and flue gas treatment. The Wolverhampton plant is fitted with two Martin GmbH grates and two CNIM designed boilers.

- Post recycled waste is delivered to the plant in fully enclosed HGVs and stored within the bunker

- Waste from the bunker is fed into two feed chutes by overhead cranes, one for each incinerator stream. A ram-feeder pushes the waste into the furnace, where it is burnt under controlled conditions as it travels down an inclined moving grate system
- Heat from the combustion process is then used to heat up water in the boilers to produce high pressurised steam, which is then used to turn a steam turbine to generate electricity
- The electricity produced is used to provide the electrical power that the plant requires with the remainder distributed to the national grid to power businesses and homes

Emissions control:

- All emissions from the process are continuously monitored and the combustion gasses are treated to meet strict air quality standards set out in the facility’s environmental permit
- The NOx emissions are controlled using a process called selective non-catalytic reduction using dry urea powder. The hot gasses then pass through our flue gas treatment system where the hot gasses are treated through various abatement systems and a bag filter system. The gases finally pass through the chimney stack, which is monitored by a Continuous Emissions Monitoring System that ensure our emissions are legally compliant

The by-products of the process include effluent water, incinerator bottom ash (IBA), Air Pollution Control Residues (APCr) and flue gases. Several by-products can be reused and recycled:

- Effluent water is treated on site and reused where possible
- IBA is disposed of by a licensed operator and may be utilised in aggregate production
- APCrs are disposed of at a licensed facility off-site
- Flue gases are treated and filtered to render them safe in accordance with the environmental permit conditions before they are released to atmosphere via the facility stack

The facility operates 24 hours per day, for approximately 358 days per year, with an annual shutdown lasting approximately 1 week.

Waste is delivered to the site Monday - Sunday between the hours of 6 am and 6 pm, although in exceptional cases it may be delivered outside these hours.

How are emissions controlled in the process?

All emissions from the process are continuously monitored and the combustion gasses are treated to meet strict air quality standards set out in the facility’s environmental permit.

The NOx emissions are controlled using a process called selective non-catalytic reduction using dry urea powder. The hot gasses then pass through our flue gas treatment system where the hot gasses are treated through various abatement systems and a bag filter system. The gases finally pass through the chimney stack which is monitored by a Continuous Emissions Monitoring System that ensure our emissions are legally compliant.

Any emission breaches will be dealt with immediately, by means of process control or facility shutdown and reported to the Environment Agency.

What comes out of the stack?

The majority of process emissions are composed of gases that are already present in the atmosphere:

- Oxygen
- Water vapour
- Carbon dioxide
- Nitrogen oxides

Trace amounts of:

- Carbon monoxide
- Very small amounts of dust
- Gaseous and vaporous organic substances, expressed as total organic carbon
- Sulphur dioxide and trioxide
- Hydrogen chloride
- Hydrogen fluoride
- Trace metals
- Very small amounts of dioxins and furans, which are virtually undetectable

These emissions are all governed by the Industrial Emissions Directive and must be sampled and monitored. Results are recorded, controlled and audited under the environmental permit issued for the facility. Any emission breaches will be dealt with immediately, by means of process control or facility shutdown and reported to the Environment Agency.

Is there a plume?

Under normal operational conditions there will be a minimal visible plume from the stack. The plume may be more visible at close proximity to the stack output, depending on atmospheric conditions. Any visible plume mainly consists of condensing water vapour.

Is there an impact on local air quality?

Waste facilities are regulated by the Environment Agency through an environmental permit. The Environment Agency will check for compliance throughout the facility’s lifetime.

As part of the environmental permit application, an air quality assessment was undertaken. The assessment uses a dispersion model, which sets out the area where emissions from a facility may come into contact with the environment. The dispersion modelling concluded that emissions from the plant would not significantly impact local air quality.

The stack emissions are monitored using a Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS) and periodic testing ensure emissions are in accordance with the environmental permit conditions. More information on emissions control is set out in our ‘how does the plant work?” FAQ.

How do you ensure the facility’s emissions are safe?

The facility must comply with all issued permits and consents, which in turn are issued in accordance with current legislation.

North Midlands Operations Ltd uses an integrated management system, which consists of policies, processes, and procedures, written to conform to all issued consents.

Industrial facilities undertaking specific types of activity are required to use best available techniques (BAT) to reduce emissions to air, water and land. BAT and operational standards are employed at the facility.

All emissions will be sampled and monitored (using accredited and calibrated equipment, including off site laboratories), recorded, controlled, and audited under the environmental permit issued for the facility.

- Effluent water is treated on site and reused where possible
- IBA is disposed of by a licensed operator and may be utilised in aggregate production
- APCrs are disposed of at a licensed facility off-site
- Flue gases are treated and filtered to render them safe in accordance with the environmental permit conditions before they are released to atmosphere via the facility stack

The facility’s effluent water is treated and reused where possible. The small amount of excess waste water produced is treated at the on-site effluent treatment plant before being discharged as trade effluent to the local water recycling plant.

Yes, the facility is safe for both staff and the public. It is operated and maintained in accordance with all applicable standards and legislation. The plant is also audited and accredited by licensed third parties. It is certified and insured accordingly.

The key regulators for the facility are:

- The Local Authority - City of Wolverhampton Council
- Environment Agency
- Health and Safety Executive

- The Local Authority – City of Wolverhampton Council
- Environment Agency
- Health and Safety Executive
- Severn Trent appointed independent professional consultants

Any job opportunities will be posted in our 'Careers' page with details on how to apply.

Operational goods and service suppliers can register their interest by contacting admin@northmidlandsoperations.co.uk

Please contact admin@northmidlandsoperations.co.uk