Rookery South Energy - Essay Example

? Land Study: Rookery South Energy-from-Waste Generating Station [INSERT HERE] [INSERT YOUR S HERE] Table of Contents Details of the Development Proposal 3 Figure 1: The Current Rookery South EfW Generating Station Design 3 History of Land Use and Potential Impact of Project 4 Previous Land Use and Appropriateness of Development 5 Figure 2: Waste Catchment Area 6 Conclusion 7 Appendix A 9 Land Study: Rookery South Energy-from-Waste Generating Station Details of the Development Proposal The Rookery South Energy-from-Waste (EfW) Generating Station is being proposed by Covanta Energy. The Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) will be located near Stewartby, south of Bedford, at the previous site of the Rookery South Pit, a former extraction pit of clay used to make brick (See Appendix A for a map of the proposed location). The Rookery South EfW Generating Station will utilize leftover business and household waste, remaining after recycling and composting to create fuel used to generate electricity and heat. According to Covanta Energy (2011), the Rookery South EfW Generating Station will be able to “convert approximately 585,000 tonnes of residual waste per year into 65MWe of electricity, of which 55MWe would be exported to the national grid. That's enough electricity equivalent to meet the needs of Bedford and the Marston Vale;” meaning, approximately 82,500 houses (About the Project, para. 2). As far as the size and construction, Covanta Energy did not want to hinder or takeaway from any long-distance views. Therefore, the designers decided on a building made up of boxes that interlock (See Figure 1), to reduce the height of the structure as much as possible; the other option was a 3-stack building. Still, with 9 times the total capacity per annum of the Isle of Man EfW facility, the current design is approximately 2m lower than “the visible height above ground level of the Isle of Man EfW Facility” (Covanta Energy, 2011). Figure 1: The Current Rookery South EfW Generating Station Design History of Land Use and Potential Impact of Project A Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment (CHIA) takes the potential impact of projects such as the Rookery South EfW Generating Station on the history of the land into consideration. Assets including designated and undesignated archaeological sites and historic buildings such as parks and gardens, monuments, areas of conservation, and registered battlefields are the focus of the assessment. Since the Rookery South EfW Generating Station will be built in the location of a former clay pit, there is very little, if any potential for negative impact on historical assets. The only potential for disturbance Covanta Energy (2011) has acknowledged is to “currently unrecorded sub-surface archaeological features during those construction works that take place outside of the pit of minor significance” (Cultural Heritage, para. 2). The residents and local decision-makers feel different from Covanta about the impact on the historical area of the proposed development. Residents of the Marston Vale and surrounding areas near the proposed site of the project want to hold on to one of twelve community forests in England (Ampthill, 2011). The resounding message to Covanta is the pollution generated from the facility combined with the eyesore of a massive processing plant viewable from long distances will ruin the historical beauty of the land (Ampthill, 2011). Although Covanta recognizes the fact that the facility will be visible from long distances, potentially causing negative reactions like those conveyed by the residents in the surrounding communities, they feel they have taken adequate steps to minimize any adverse impact. The steps they refer to include the low-profile design, as opposed to the 3-stack alternative, and the selection of material finishes for the buildings, which they feel are as aesthetically pleasing as a waste processing plant can get; all aspects of the design were developed after consulting with Central Bedfordshire Council, English Heritage, and Bedford Borough Council (Covanta Energy, 2011). Over the years, local communities in the areas surrounding the proposed site have worked toward positioning themselves as popular destinations for tourists. Instead, they are concerned about their ambitious locales becoming a destination for other communities’ garbage. Residents and decision-makers do not understand how an incinerator will serve as a vacationer’s dream getaway. Furthermore, they anticipate a damaging impact on property prices, ultimately depressing the already fragile economy (Ampthill, 2011). The historical land use of the areas of Bedfordshire and Stewartby and other surrounding communities supports the residents’ sentiments. Roughly 90% of the land consists of greenspace, water, and gardens (University of Portsmouth, 2009). Covanta Energy has indicated that, though the proposed site of the Rookery South EfW Generating Station is located between to railways, the waste will be transported from the serviced Lorries via roadway. According to the historical land use through 2001, the number of roads in the area is minimal compared to the amount of greenspace (University of Portsmouth, 2009). It may be that once the facility is built, the next proposal will be more infrastructures in the way of roads to and from the facility branching across the surrounding areas leading to heavier traffic and more pollution issues. Previous Land Use and Appropriateness of Development The proposed location of the Rookery South EfW Generating Station is the former site of the Rookery South Pit, a clay pit where brick clay was extracted. According to Covanta Energy (2011), the area is located within the “Northern Marston Vale Growth Area, an area that is set to grow through regeneration schemes and the expected development of some 19,500 new homes” (Site Advantages, para. 1). Covanta Energy (2011) feels there are numerous site advantages, which is why they chose the specific location. The given area does not interfere directly with policy protected areas (e.g. the Greenbelt). While the developers have identified roadways as the current method of transporting waste into the facility, they indicate the railways on either side of the location as benefits for potential railroad transport of waste in the future. The location is large enough so as to not cause direct adverse impacts on the environment and also to house the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) on-site avoiding transportation of incinerator ashes away from the site for treatment and use additional outside land resources (Covanta Energy, 2011). The key requirement in decisions on providing new energy recovery and waste treatment facilities is sustainability (Covanta Energy, 2011). It is important for projects like this to help take care of the environment for the enjoyment of future generations. Covanta Energy cites the excellent benefits gained by transporting waste into a single, large-scale facility from a broader Waste Catchment Area (See Figure 2), reaching outside of Bedfordshire. Bedfordshire is the central location of the Rookery South EfW Generating Station and co-housed MRF. The proposed capacity of the facility means burdens brought about by transporting from such a wide area greatly outweigh the energy and operational efficiency that can be achieved. Figure 2: Waste Catchment Area In constructing and operating a single, large-scale facility that is located in the centre of such a widely defined Waste Catchment Area, Covanta will be able to achieve significant revenues that can be passed on in the form of monetary savings to its Local Authority customers (Covanta Energy, 2011). Reporting on research from what they consider to be a conservative estimate, the financial savings to clients such as the Bedfordshire Authorities could potentially exceed ?8 million a year (Covanta Energy, 2011). On the waste tonnages Covanta has currently calculated for solely Bedfordshire, which amounts to approximately 160,000 tonnes in household wastes, after compost and recycling processes, using the Rookery South EfW Generating Station will be at the very least, “?50 per tonne cheaper than a smaller 'Bedfordshire waste only' (bespoke sized) EfW facility” (Covanta Energy, 2011). Conclusion At present, Bedfordshire Authorities and those within the Waste Catchment Area are being forced to dig deep to save money during this time of “severe budgetary constraints, which could result in other frontline services being reduced” (Covanta Energy, 2011). With this proposed project, waste management services can be provided by Covanta to local businesses, residents, and authorities all at reduced costs (Covanta Energy, 2011). References Ampthill. (2011). Issues further afield. Retrieved from http://www.ampthill.info/page41.htm Covanta Energy. (2011). Rookery South Resource Recovery Facility project. Retrieved from http://www.covantarookerysouth.co.uk/index.shtml University of Portsmouth. (2009). A vision of Britain through time. Retrieved from http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_page.jsp?data_theme=T_LAND&data_cube=N_LAND2001_SIMP&u_id=10032921&c_id=10001043&add=Y Appendix A Read More