New waste incinerator reaches commissioning stage

The new energy from waste (incinerator) plant at Skelton Grange has moved into its commissioning stage.

Once operational, it will process up to 410,000 tonnes of residual commercial waste and use it to generate 49MW of renewable electricity per annum. This is enough energy to power more than 100,000 homes.

During the commissioning process you may see steam being emitted from the Stourton plant. The two-month process also involves steam blowing, which will ensure internal cleaning of the boilers and pipework.

Operators enfinium have scheduled the steam blowing to take place during the early morning and late afternoon hours, and last approximately 30 minutes. All the work carried out follows normal and safe practice for the commissioning of a power plant, in compliance with planning and permits.

Associated work on the Skelton Grange Road bridge over the Aire & Calder Navigation and River Aire continues. Wider stairs and ramps have been installed to accommodate the Trans-Pennine cycle route and footpath.

 

Photo: Jeremy Morton

 

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3 Replies to “New waste incinerator reaches commissioning stage”

  1. The Environment Agency are fully aware that they’ve been relying upon false advice about health effects of incinerator emissions when issuing permits. They are also fully aware that despite the Health Protection Agency (HPA) promising to check health data around incinerators in August 2003, the HPA admitted in May 2008 that they’d not checked any relevant data at electoral ward level around any incinerator.

    See articles in Dorking Advertiser (22 May 2008) and Inside Croydon (15 October 2024) for more information about the incinerator/infant mortality cover-up

  2. The Inside Croydon article of 15 October 2024 Health agencies ignored public’s concerns on incinerator includes:

    “Two eminent medical doctors wrote about my research to residents concerned about my research showing a link between incinerators and infant mortality. I’m named in both doctors’ letters,” Ryan told this website.
    “Both Dr Robert Maynard of the Health Protection Agency (in a letter dated August 2008) and Dr (now Sir) Harry Burns, the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland (in a letter dated January 2008) sent replies detailing what they considered to be wrong in my research and saying what needs to be done to demonstrate a link.
    “Both these eminent doctors, both in positions of authority, could have carried out what they said I should have done. But they didn’t,” Ryan says.
    Ryan is a retired chartered civil engineer and former senior flood defence engineer at the Environment Agency. He believes that two of his children died because of exposure to incinerator emissions.
    “Flooding can’t be hidden,” Ryan says, “unlike the adverse health effects of incinerator emissions, which have long been a concern around the country.”
    Despite having a statutory obligation under the Environment Act 1995 to assess and take into account possible harm to human health, the EA has continued to issue permits for incinerators. According to Ryan, that is, “Because they’ve never had any accurate advice on the adverse health effects of emissions.”

    Ryan says, “Residents in England and Scotland who were independently concerned at my research which suggested a link between incinerator emissions and infant mortality received letters in 2008 from Dr Robert Maynard, of the Health Protection Agency and Sir Harry Burns, who was the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland from September 2005 to April 2014.
    “Their criticisms of my research and ‘what I should have done’ beg the question: Why hadn’t they already done it themselves?”
    On August 21, 2008, Dr Maynard wrote: “Simply claiming that infant mortality is higher downwind of incinerators really will not do: you need to show that you have taken into account confounding factors that could also be playing a part.
    “You would also need to explain why some wards in the downwind direction do not have higher than expected infant mortality rates, if indeed this is the case.”
    Ryan says today: “Dr Maynard overlooked that fact that ONS data show sudden post-incinerator increases in rates of infant mortality in areas exposed to incinerator emissions – a fact that started with the Edmonton incinerator after 1971 and continued with those at Nottingham, Coventry, Birmingham, Sheffield, Kirklees, Bolton, Lewisham, Bexley, Shrewsbury, Marshbrook, Colnbrook, Dudley, Wolverhampton, Plymouth, Exeter, Four Ashes, Hartlebury, Crymlyn Burrows and Splott.”
    And now Beddington, too. This can’t all be just coincidence, Ryan suggests.
    In his letter to a concerned resident, Dr Maynard also wrote: “Colleagues and I have undertaken a literature search in this area: we have failed to find persuasive evidence of your assertions.”

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