New Hybrid Energy Park will power 20% of Southport’s homes and create 40 skilled jobs

Plans have been approved for a new Hybrid Energy Park that could power 20% of the homes in Southport. 

The sustainable waste-to-energy project by EQTEC will also create 40 highly-skilled, green-collar jobs at the Watts Industrial Estate on Crowland Street in Blowick.

When fully operational, the waste to energy project will convert 80,000 tonnes of municipal waste into green energy and into over 6 million cubic metres of bio methane providing a fifth of the resort’s energy needs. 

The development will lower Southport’s CO2 footprint and create a greener future. 

David Palumbo, CEO of EQTEC, said: “This is great news for Southport. 

“We enjoy strong local relationships, strong local support and strong partners, a perfect combination for building this innovative, commercially sustainable, baseload energy solution for Southport’s net zero future.” 

EQTEC say they are now working on ‘Phase 2’ of the plan, which would add ‘EQTEC synthesis gas technology to convert 25,000 tonnes of RDF per year.

When the plan was first revealed last year, MP Damien Moore said it could help Southport to become one of the most environmentally sustainable towns in the country. 

He said: “This is a positive development for Southport and another example of how innovative companies want to be part of the town’s future. 

“Key to the success of levelling up Southport is attracting businesses like EQTEC and their investment as we see jobs created in the area, especially through the generation of clean energy and as part of a sustainable economy.”

The development will be built on a 1.3 hectare site on Crowland Street, on land currently occupied by Southport Skip Hire, a successful local business which has been operating on the land for the past 30 years.

Southport Skip Hire would continue to operate from part of the site. 

A Planning Statement prepared by Wardell Armstrong LLP on behalf of Shankley Biogas Ltd outlines the vision of an anaerobic digestion (AD) facility with waste sorting and recovery operations. 

It would turn waste into power without the emission of toxic fumes by using a proven, leading-edge ‘syngas’ technology, developed by EQTEC. 

Once built, it would be one of just three sites in the United Kingdom using EQTEC’s unique ‘cleantech’, with the others located in Teesside and in Flintshire, Wales. 

The scheme will include: 

• a new anaerobic digestion, energy from waste facility
• associated ancillary buildings
• administration buildings
• weighbridge control
• staff and visitor parking

The application says: “The proposed development is within the Southport Skip Hire business, operating at 55 Crowland Street and the skip hire business would continue to operate within the site.

“The site is currently used by Southport Skip Hire Ltd providing hire of skips and separation / recycling of industrial waste for transfer. The business has provided services to Southport and the surrounding area for more than 30 years. The site currently receives, separates, bulks and transfers mixed waste primarily from commercial and industrial clients, but also limited amounts of municipal waste under local authority waste contracts. 

“The current site operates within a permit to manage 100,000 tonnes of waste per year, with a variety of vehicle traffic (eg heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), lorries, trucks, vans and cars) accessing the site on a daily basis. Access to the site is gained from Crowland Street.

“The application seeks detailed planning consent for a waste reception and materials handling building, and anaerobic digestion (AD) facility, accepting the maximum of 80 ktpa of OFMSW (organic fine, municipal solid waste). The development would take place within the existing operational waste management site.

“The OFMSW would be sorted and separated into organic fines (suitable for bio-digestion by AD), combustible, non-organic, fraction prepared as a Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) and recovered non-combustible fraction (grit, glass etc, residual to be landfilled).

“The organic fines would be separated and processed using hydro mechanical separation and preparation and a multi-stage AD waste recycling plant, producing biogas that would be cleaned and injected to the gas grid, located to the south of Crowland Street.

“The proposed development would supply a renewable energy source to be used in meeting local electricity and heating demands. 

“The existing site operations would continue to function alongside and in conjunction with the proposed development on land to the north east of the site.

“The increased intensity of the site also means that the proposed development would generate up to 40 additional local job opportunities, over two shifts, further benefiting the community in addition to the renewable energy supply.” 

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