Skills, Safety, Diversity and Fuels Key Topics at Energy from Waste Event : Energy from Waste Conference a Hit in London

One of the key themes of the Energy from Waste Conference, held in London on the 27-28 February, was how the industry could better engage with the public in regards to both its critical role in society and its appeal as a career.

Summarising proceedings, Ian Crummack, Managing Director and Cobalt Energy said: “We as a sector have to do better, it’s not that we’re doing badly, but we’ve got to get out there and not put our heads down and hope that people won’t come and have a go at us… We have a good story to tell and we should get out there and say it to people, we should explain it to people.”

“There’s some very very good technology out there. We’ve got people here from Japan, America, Germany, Sweden, all over Europe. We’ve seen a lot of different things here, but we need to tell all those good stories – to get out there and speak to people. If we can do that the sector will get better and better.

“There’s a considerable body of evidence out there that in the UK we are about halfway through the build programme with about 43 waste to energy plants. Another 40 new plants is not a ridiculous assumption. We’ll have about 80 plants, and we won’t be an invisible sector anymore.”

Also speaking at the conference Paul Davison and Professor Margret Bates discussed skill requirements and diversity in the context of encouraging new blood into the waste and resource industry’s workforce

Additionally, among the very many topics up for discussion, a number of key players explained the latest developments in waste to drop-in liquid fuel projects, and best practice in health and safety at waste to energy plants was explored.

For more in-depth coverage of the conference be sure to check out the March/April issue of Waste Management World. Subscribe HERE

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