Displaying items by tag: Wales

UK: The UK government has committed to investments worth Euro22.8bn in early deployments of carbon capture technology. It will announce a shortlist of new projects for deployment later in March 2022.

The government said "This unprecedented level of funding for the sector will unlock private investment and job creation across the UK, particularly on the east coast and in the North West of England and North Wales. It will also kick-start the delivery of subsequent phases of this new sustainable industry in the UK."

Ireland-based Ecocem responded to the budget with a call for funding for more short-term areas besides carbon capture. It said these will be essential in order for the UK cement and concrete industry to reach its 45% decarbonisation target by 2030. The slag-based cement products company called for funding for low-clinker technologies which have already been developed and can be rolled out at scale before 2030, until carbon capture becomes a 'scalable, viable option.'

UK: Plans to burn used tyres and plastics for energy at Lafarge's Aberthaw works in South Wales have been submitted to the Environment Agency for approval. Lafarge's comes after it sent out 5000 letters to residents explaining the latest proposals and held two public consultations. The proposal has previously sparked concerns among some residents and environmentalists.

The plant's management team says that the move would cut costs and reduce coal burning and CO₂ emissions. The proposal comes six years after the Lafarge meat and bone meal (MBM) from cows and sheep as a sustainable waste-derived fuel at the plant. If the move is approved by the Environment Agency, the used Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF), including papers and plastics, and end-of-life car and van tyres, could save up to 15,500t/yr of coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 20,000t/yr.

James Kirkpatrick, manager at the Aberthaw works, which has an integrated capacity of 0.55Mt/yr, said the plan had been prompted by increased competition in the cement market and a serious downturn in demand for construction products. "Since it was introduced in 2005, we have used 50,000t of MBM which has significantly reduced our consumption of fossil fuels," he said. "Extending the range of sustainable waste-derived fuels we can use offers us a good way to keep a check on our costs which have been escalating."

Keith Stockdale, secretary of Barry and Vale Friends of the Earth, said, "The Environment Agency will have to impose strict conditions on the burning of this potentially hazardous waste."