Ardent Celebrates National Recycling Week

To help raise awareness of National Recycling Week, we would like to take this time to share with you our experience of working on one of the UK’s most important energy from waste DCO projects: Cory Riverside Energy project. The Ardent team supported Cory through the entire application process which resulted in powers being awarded to construct, operate and maintain an integrated energy park. Ardent led on land referencing, landowner engagement, survey access and valuation along with land and property expert support at the examination.

This is a significant recycling initiative, designed to produce energy from waste, and help tackle the impacts of climate change. Currently, London is facing a significant capacity gap in its ability to dispose of and treat all its waste. Over 2 million tonnes of London’s non-recyclable waste is currently sent to landfill or shipped overseas, increasing the dramatic effects of the climate emergency. London has a clear waste infrastructure capacity gap which urgently needs investment. This is because many of these overseas markets no longer accept non-recyclable waste imports, and only two of the current 11 landfill sites used for London’s waste will still be operational after 2025.

The Secretary of State granted development consent for the Riverside Energy Park on 9th April 2020, and classed it as a National Infrastructure Project due to its significance in fighting some of the causes that contribute to climate change.

Cory are planning to invest more than £800m in their operations, this includes the Riverside Energy Park, this is currently next to Cory’s existing energy from waste felicity in Belverdere, and will comprise of:

• An energy from waste facility to turn 665,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste into enough electricity to power 140,000 homes each year
• A solar photovoltaic installation to increase renewable energy generated
• Battery storage to preserve and release electricity when it is needed most
• Anaerobic digestion for up to 40,000 tonnes of food and green waste per year, generating compressed natural gas, electricity and fertiliser

The new Riverside Energy Park is an important part of the solution representing a huge step forward when it comes to meeting London’s waste management and energy generation infrastructure needs.