Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), through its fund Copenhagen Infrastructure IV (CI IV), and joint venture partner SSE Thermal (SSE) has completed construction and begun operations at the 60 MW energy-from-waste plant, Slough Multifuel, located within the Slough Trading Estate Greater London area in the UK.
The plant intends to not only offer a sustainable and environmentally friendly waste management solution for the Greater London area by processing 480,000 metric tons of residual waste per year but also contribute to the UK government’s strategy to reduce landfill and export of waste.
“Slough Multifuel will fulfill an important role in the UK’s electricity system and help divert thousands of tons of waste from landfill,” Finlay McCutcheon, managing director of SEE Thermal, said in a statement. The successful delivery of the project is testament to the partnership between SSE and CIP, which spans multiple projects and continues to create genuine value.”
The plant’s capacity was increased from 50 to 60 MW during construction to provide greater operational performance. The facility has many mid- and long-term fuel supply agreements for stable revenue streams.
CIP acquired a 50 percent stake in Slough Multifuel from SSE Thermal in April 2020 and both the companies co-developed the project throughout the development phase. CIP’s existing thermal project portfolio comprises of four operational biomass plants and one energy-from-waste plant under construction in Lostock, near Northwich in Cheshire.
Landfills emit high levels of methane, which is considered a far deeper environmental threat than even carbon dioxide, according to many scientists. New trash-to-energy power projects are underway or being developed in Washington, North Carolina, Utah, Kentucky, Texas and Oklahoma, among others in the U.S.
The global trash-to-energy market is expected to grow about 5% annual to a value of close to $50 billion by 2032, according to a forecast by Fortune Business Insights.
