Further Reaction to the Renewables Obligation Banding Review

30 July 2012 Following last week's response by the UK's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to the consultation on the Renewables Obligation Banding Review - which sets out support levels for renewable energy technologies for the period 2013 to 2017 - there has been further reaction of the waste industry. "The confirmation of these bandings is very welcome, as the key to enabling more jobs and investment in renewables generating capacity, is clarity and stability," commented Viridor chief executive Colin Drummond. According to Drummond, if the UK is to meet its targets for renewable energy generation by 2020, investors and operators need certainty. "There are many positives for our sector. In an industry needing to spend around £15 billion on new infrastructure and within Viridor alone, which has an investment pipeline of more than £1bn, the Government's reaffirming of 'grandfathering rights' on existing projects is particularly welcome," he added. Drummond welcomed the ongoing support for waste to energy with combined heat and power and said that the move shows that government has listened to evidence provided by our industry. "A single band for 'Advanced Conversion Technologies' (gasification and pyrolysis) is also a sensible measure and should allow for stability in assessing deployment of these methods," he continued. However, Drummond also expressed disappointment over the very low level of support for the utilisation of landfill gas, which he said is unlikely to encourage much more power generation on closed landfill sites or the further utilisation of waste heat from this source. "We note the ongoing support, and the changes and limits with regard to Anaerobic Digestion, and look forward to the further consultation in due course," he concluded. Chris Williams, managing director of Green Energy Parks (GEP), also welcomed the government's move. "With clarity over the value of the renewable content of power generation, developers can move forward with projects, reassure investors and crucially, kick-start the drive towards a low carbon economy," said Williams. "For Green Energy Parks (GEP), we welcome the simplification of the definition of Advanced Conversion Technologies (ACT), meaning that developments can move forward with the ability to adapt to the best technology of the day," he concluded. Meanwhile, waste industry trade association, the Environmental Services Association (ESA), broadly welcomed the decision, but like Drummond, cautioned that it remains to be seen whether the rate of 0.2 ROCs will be sufficient to enable significant numbers of landfill gas projects to come forward. Furthermore the association added that the ending of RO support for most open landfills projects risks undermining efforts to capture the maximum amount of landfill gas. "It must be remembered that EfW projects are often complex with many different risks attached to them, including planning issues, or finding suitable offtake customers for heat or AD digestate. Government and the industry need to continue to work together if the full potential of EfW is to be realized," added director of policy at ESA, Matthew Farrow. Read More Revised UK FITs Bad for Biogas but Good for Gasification Revised feed in tariffs have proved a tale of two technologies for the waste sector, with gasification given a boost but the ADBA expressing anger over tariff cuts for biogas projects. Ten Best Waste Projects in KPMG Top 100 Infrastructure List The Edinburgh Food Waste food waste project has been named as one of 10 best waste projects globally in the KPMG Infrastructure 100 league table, which also included a number of waste to energy and biogas projects. Viridor Contract for Waste Gasification, AD & Recycling Facility in Glasgow Viridor has signed a 25 year contract with contract with Glasgow City Council to Design, Build, Finance and Operate a 200,000 TPA recycling, AD and waste to energy gasification facility in the city. Free Magazine Subscription Free Email Newsletter