U.K. Rubbish Dumps to Get Wind Turbines

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Spanish construction, services and energy giant Fomento de Constucciones y Contratas SA (FCC) (Madrid, Spain) has revealed plans to build wind turbines on rubbish dumps across England, Wales and Scotland.

The company has revealed plans to spend up to 114 million euros ($154 million) for the installation of 80 megawatts (MW) of wind turbines at some of its 100 U.K. landfill sites, operated through subsidiary Waste Recycling Group (WRG) (Northampton, England). The selection of sites and technology will be carried out by FCC's energy arm, FCC Energy (FCCE).

The company maintained that many U.K. onshore wind energy projects are refused planning because of location and environmental issues, but that constructing wind turbines in closed or operational rubbish sites should prove more appealing to planning authorities.

"As an environmentally responsible company, it is right that we take the opportunity that our extensive landholding offers for the development of wind turbines, and which will contribute to efforts to increase the amount of renewable energy generated in the U.K.," said Paul Taylor, WRG's chief executive.

"Given the already extensive experience WRG has in recovering renewable energy from a range of waste-treatment technologies, and the experience FCCE has in the operation of wind assets, this latest venture is the next logical step for the Group. We will also seek other opportunities to develop our wind energy activities beyond the programme we are announcing today. We are pleased to be supporting the objectives of our parent company FCC, who have made clear their intention to grow strong interests in renewable energy, including through the development of wind and energy from waste facilities."

WRG recovers the energy from the clean combustion of non-hazardous household, commercial and industrial wastes at its two energy-from-waste (EfW) incineration facilities. These include the Allington facility EfW in Kent, which generates electricity for export to the local network and the Eastcroft EfW facility, which generates thermal energy in the form of steam, which is used by Nottingham's district heating scheme.

FCC currently owns and manages a green energy portfolio of 533 MW, mainly in Spain and the U.K. The company bought its way into the renewable energy sector in 2008, when it acquired 14 Spanish windfarms with a generating capacity of 420.7 MW and 45 MW under development from Australia's Babcock & Brown Wind Partners (BBW). The deal was worth 190 million euros ($257.7 million). FCC also operates two 10-MW solar photovoltaic plants and is in the process of building two concentrating solar power (CSP) projects there also.

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