海角视频

North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park

Scunthorpe, UK

A multidisciplinary 海角视频 team helped to build a deep technical understanding of the complexities, challenges and benefits for a pioneering new green energy park at the Flixborough Industrial Estate which could generate enough power for 221,000 homes each year and create up to 257 permanent jobs locally.

The UK is committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. To achieve this, we need to achieve new low carbon sources of energy and get the most out of the resources we use, which means recycling more and sending less waste to landfill.

Globally, we also need to adapt innovations to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park aims to support all of these aspirations.

海角视频 experts supported the scheme to deliver a pioneering new green energy park, including an energy recovery facility (ERF).

The energy generated could power up to 221,000 every year 鈥� that鈥檚 three times the number of homes in North Lincolnshire.

Our water team led stakeholder engagement on flood management, developing solutions that ensure protection for the site and wider area against future flood risks.

The development will create 600 jobs during construction and more than 250 highly skilled roles once operational.

Challenge

The industrial site, on the River Trent, near Scunthorpe, once home to chemical works and an industrial wharf, will become a hub of innovation focused on resilient energy transition, using proven technologies to recover energy from non-recyclable waste. 

The project consists of an Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) that will convert up to 760,000 tonnes per annum of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), which is shredded waste from which organic or recyclable materials have been removed. This is material that would otherwise be destined for landfill or exported. It will be delivered to the park where possible in sealed containers, arriving by river, rail or road. A new access road will divert site traffic from local roads.

The RDF will be used at the site to generate 95 Mega Watts of electrical output (MWe) and/or 380 Mega Watts of thermal output (MWt), generating power, heat and steam. This could be used to supply energy to local homes, businesses and hospitals, as well as powering the country鈥檚 growing electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The generation capacity meant that the project is recognised as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) which required a Development Consent Order (DCO). It has been estimated that the energy generated could power up to 221,000 homes every year 鈥� that鈥檚 three times the number of homes in North Lincolnshire.

A multidisciplinary team from 海角视频 was engaged to support the client around a range of technical aspects, including infrastructure, transport, bridges, water and marine, ground engineering, lighting, sustainability and cost Master Budget Estimates. We were further engaged to deliver project and design management support, helping to align the workstreams of a broad range of collaborators and technical specialists.

Our experts supported the success of the project through a range of multi-stakeholder engagements and planning consultations, including a Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR) and input into the Development Consent Order (DCO) application ahead of the formal planning examination period. The ERF process will need to comply with an environmental permit, which sets limits on operations, including emissions. The site will also be strictly monitored by regulatory bodies, including the Environment Agency.

Solution

North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park will be one of the first projects of its kind in the UK to include carbon capture, storage and utilisation. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) created in the energy recovery process will be utilised on site in the carbonation of fly ash and utilisation in products such as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The site can link with the proposed Humber Low Carbon Pipeline or via rail to the proposed Viking Pipeline in the future for sequestration of CO₂ under the North Sea. The proposed technologies could capture up to 650,000 tonnes of CO₂ each year.

The project will support the shift towards low carbon and renewable energy generation. To help manage energy demand, the project will incorporate battery storage, hydrogen (H₂) production from the electrolysis of water, hydrogen storage, and make use of waste heat and steam with a 11km district heat network (DHN). Green hydrogen produced on the site will be primarily used to power transport, with a hydrogen refuelling station capable of refuelling HGVs and trains. This could also support the decarbonisation of the gas network.

There will also be a wider circular economy approach for the site 鈥� with a vision to reuse as much waste as possible. Ash produced by the energy recovery process will be used in the construction industry with the production of up to 285,000 tonnes per annum of 鈥済reen鈥� concrete products.

A plastic recycling facility on site will remove plastic material from the waste stream to increase the biogenic content of waste combusted and increasing the proportion of biogenic CO₂ captured. All the condensate captured from the carbon capture process will be cleaned and recycled either for use in the hydrogen production, for the district heat network or as a coolant for the steam boilers. The 11km DHN will utilise waste heat from the boilers and from the flue gas cooling to service the 6,000 houses planned as part of the Lincolnshire Lakes development, local industry and commercial sites, to displace the use of fossil fuels.

Development at the site will also include the reopening of a 6km single track railway line that connects Flixborough Wharf with the steel works at Scunthorpe; a railhead complex to handle the RDF and concrete products; and a new road alignment to facilitate the flow of traffic accessing the site from the south.

The energy park will include a visitor centre, to communicate its story to the local community. The development will also see improvements made to wildlife habitats, including a 65-acre wetland area, as well as new walking and cycling infrastructure to provide greater access to the North Lincolnshire countryside and the River Trent.

It is estimated that the development will create 600 jobs during construction and more than 250 highly skilled roles once operational. It will boost the local economy with up to 拢30m spend in the region during construction and up to 拢1.5bn of project investment.

Our water engineers led the stakeholder engagement on the flood risk management strategy 鈥� developing solutions that realised the full scale of the development whilst ensuring protection against flooding now and in the future. Alongside this, we undertook hydraulic flood modelling, liaising closely with the Environment Agency utilising the latest fluvial and tidal flood models, as well as forecasting for climate change for the development lifetime. Over 30 different site layout combinations were tested to find one that minimised the impact from flooding but also ensured areas beyond the site were not at an increased risk from flooding.

Our experts also developed a series of proposals to minimise the volume of potable water required, maximise water recycling opportunities and reduce the amount of effluent being discharged to the drainage network. Working closely with ABP (Associated British Ports) and the Flixborough Port Operators (RMS Ports), we also conducted a river transport assessment and a Navigation Risk Assessment (NRA). The team analysed the potential additional river usage and associated risks with an increase of vessel movements. By reviewing the existing and historic vessel movements in conjunction with tidal windows, we established capacity for vessel movements along the river, in turn informing the capacity of the existing wharf and reducing the risk to the current operation of the waterway.

Value

The North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park represents an ambitious and innovative concept driving circular economy principles in the energy and waste sectors. The opportunities afforded by integrating waste treatment, energy recovery, energy storage and manufacturing with related businesses, represent a unique vision within the UK market.

Our teams delivered clear insight and deep technical understanding to help develop the vision and navigate it through planning. The North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park Development Consent Order (DCO) application, submitted in May 2022, was approved by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero in March 2025.