An integral part of WRWA's contract with Cory is the use of the River Thames for transporting its residual waste that cannot be reused or recycled. The waste is loaded by crane onto one of Cory's barges in sealed containers – each of Cory's 47 barges has a 300 tonne capacity and is pulled by a tug, which tows them some 20 miles downriver to the Riverside Resource Recovery Energy from Waste facility in Belvedere. The river operation is governed by the tides. Craft containing full containers go downstream on the ebb tide and empty containers are taken back upstream on the flood tide.
Transporting waste by river is occasionally difficult, particularly when there are high winds or fog, but from an environmental point of view it is an excellent method of transport. The four hour journey from the transfer stations to Belvedere, negotiating bends, bridges and currents, requires an experienced skipper at the wheel. Although commercial river traffic has declined, the tugs' crews need to keep a watchful eye for pleasure craft and other users of the River.
Cory's fleet is headed up by its four new tugs which have been in operation since Autumn 2010. The tugs Reclaim, Recovery, Redoubt and Resource are just the latest in a long line of Cory tugs that have been operating on the River Thames for over 110 years and in June 2012 they led the working boats section of the Queen's Jubilee Pageant.
Overall Cory transports around 600,000 tonnes of waste a year on the Thames, thus saving more than 100,000 heavy vehicle movements a year on the capital's already congested roads. To complete the process, the Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) produced at the Riverside facility is taken back on Cory's barges in specially designed containers to a new IBA processing facility at Tilbury Docks, developed by Ballast Phoenix. This can process 170,000 tonnes of IBA a year to recover metals and produce a construction aggregate currently being used on the M25 widening scheme and many other road and construction projects.
To complete the process, the Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) produced at the Riverside facility is taken back on Cory's barges in specially designed containers to a new IBA processing facility at Tilbury Docks, developed by Ballast Phoenix. This can process 170,000 tonnes of IBA a year to recover metals and produce a construction aggregate currently being used on the M25 widening scheme and many other road and construction projects.
It is the largest EfW Facility in the UK and one of the largest in Europe, which generates 72MW of power (6MW of which is used on site and the remaining 66MW is exported to the National Grid). The facility is consented to receive up to 785,000 tonnes of residual waste each year and RRRL became fully responsible for its operation in 2011.
Use of the EfW plant does not artificially limit WRWA's ability to reduce or recycle its waste. Whilst WRWA has the benefit of a guaranteed level of capacity at the facility it remains free to reduce or recycle its waste without limitation. WRWA is not required to supply any guaranteed level of tonnage to the facility, or make any minimum payment. Indeed, the Authority receives a royalty for any capacity it gives up and is therefore positively incentivised to make such reductions. Overall Cory transports around 600,000 tonnes of waste a year on the Thames, thus saving more than 100,000 heavy vehicle movements a year on the capital's already congested roads. The planning permission only allows for 195,000 tonnes per annum to be delivered to the Facility by road, with all the remaining waste to be supplied by river. All but 115,000 tonnes of the river waste (transferred via the Port of Tilbury) must originate from within Greater London. The majority of the waste is therefore transferred to the facility via the Authority's Transfer Stations at Smugglers Way and Cringle Dock, the City of London's Transfer Station at Walbrook Wharf and the Transfer Station at Northumberland Wharf in Tower Hamlets.
The Belvedere Energy from Waste plant (EfW) plant is owned and operated by Riverside Resource Recovery Limited (RRRL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Cory. The Facility provides for the incineration of waste, and the use of the heat from the process to generate electricity through steam generation in boilers. It is the largest EfW Facility in the UK and one of the largest in Europe, which generates 72MW of power (6MW of which is used on site and the remaining 66MW is exported to the National Grid). The facility is consented to receive up to 785,000 tonnes of residual waste each year and RRRL became fully responsible for its operation in 2011.
Overall Cory transports around 600,000 tonnes of waste a year on the Thames, thus saving more than 100,000 heavy vehicle movements a year on the capital's already congested roads.
The planning permission only allows for 195,000 tonnes per annum to be delivered to the Facility by road, with all the remaining waste to be supplied by river. All but 115,000 tonnes of the river waste (transferred via the Port of Tilbury) must originate from within Greater London. The majority of the waste is therefore transferred to the facility via the Authority's Transfer Stations at Smugglers Way and Cringle Dock, the City of London's Transfer Station at Walbrook Wharf and the Transfer Station at Northumberland Wharf in Tower Hamlets.
The Facility is designed to have the capability of providing waste heat for use by nearby homes or commercial premises, but no suitable outlets have as yet been identified.
However, the Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) is being processed at Ballast Phoenix Limited's IBA recycling plant at Tilbury Docks which was constructed to recycle the bottom ash produced at the Facility.
Over 150,000 tonnes per annum of the inputs to Belvedere (approximately 28%) will end up as bottom ash and this is transported from Belvedere by river barge to Tilbury. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals are reclaimed during processing, with the remaining material being processed into aggregate, destined primarily for new road schemes.
The Riverside facility was officially opened by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal in May 2012 and it is one of the UK's most efficient energy recovery plants and an important strategic waste management facility for the capital.