Converting Slough Heat and Power to Wood and Fibre Fuel
Slough Heat and Power (SHP) is a multi-megawatt combined heat and power station located on the Slough Trading Estate.
SHP uses biomass fuel in the form of woodchips and fibre fuel to generate electricity, hot water and or steam. The electricity is distributed to the National Grid providing about 2,500 homes with electricity and directly supplies about 400 commercial and industrial enterprises on the Trading Estate with electricity and heat. In addition, SHP provides drinking water to all businesses on this trading estate. The power station has been in existence since the 1920’s and until 2000 it operated solely on fossil fuels. Using bio-fuels has saved a significant amount of non-recyclable packaging materials, which are turned into useable fuel cubes, from disposal in landfill.
The power station was using coal and gas as its main fuel sources until 2001/02 when the power station began research and development into Biomass use. Following the Renewables Obligation Order of April 2002 the power station completed its conversion to biomass fuel.
TV Bioenergy supplies locally sourced wood fuel across the Thames Valley, Surrey and North Hampshire including SHP. The wood chipping for SHP is sourced from local tree surgeons, foresters, contractors, existing short rotation coppice growers and Local Authorities. Fibre Fuel supplies SHP with fuel cubes; non recyclable materials such as laminates and pre-consumer packaging are shredded and densified into small, odourless fuel cubes. These are then processed at the Fibre fuel site directly adjacent to SHP.
The responsible decision to convert to wood and fibre fuel was pioneering given the uncertainties and business risks that faced SHP at the time. The site is now the largest dedicated bio-energy facility in the UK, using around 300,000 tonnes of wood fuel per year and contributes greatly to avoid exacerbating climate change.
Contact Email:
or
Organisation:
Slough Heat and Power & TV Energy
Funding Details:
Modification of the existing power plant to use renewables required a huge investment of both time and money. The value of which over £30million.
Status:
Complete
Website relating to case study:
http://www.tvbioenergy.co.uk and http://www.sloughheatandpower.co.uk
Keywords relating to this case study:
Waste, Renewables, Biomass
South East groups case study relates to:
Utilities and infrastructure
