The Lakeside EfW plant will play an important role in energy conservation, forming part of a UK Government initiative, the Landfill Directive, which is set to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill sites and places the responsibility on Local Authorities to develop alternative solutions. Burning waste at Lakeside EfW plant will generate heat, which is converted into electricity using a steam turbine.

Royal Haskoning carefully developed plans to overcome several construction challenges, allowing all necessary process buildings to fit into the relatively small site. A tight schedule meant that many innovative techniques were used to speed up the process, including utilising slipform construction to replace the need for traditional concrete pouring, which reduced the delivery of the main bunker structure from three months to just four weeks.

“Royal Haskoning is incredibly knowledgeable not only in the design of such structures, but the recycling, environmental and renewable energy processes that take place within them,” explains Peter Golden, Project Manager, BAM Nuttall. “Royal Haskoning, working with BAM Nuttall and Takuma, was perfectly placed to advise on The Lakeside EfW plant, making the construction a complete success.”

“In these cash-strapped times, with budgets at a premium the commitment to alternative energy is not easy. The best green initiatives will be those that deliver improvements at a lower cost, meaning that government energy targets are achievable. Advances in technology are key to creating a greener environment with projects such as Lakeside EfW playing an important role” says Mark Palmer, Principal Engineer, Royal Haskoning.