GLASGOW’S forthcoming £154 million recycling and renewable energy facility
in Polmadie reached a significant milestone earlier this year, with 70 per
cent work completion announced.
The milestone was marked with the arrival of a £5m Weir Group turbine on
site which will be at the heart of the site’s renewable energy generation
capabilities.
The Glasgow Recycling and Renewable Energy Centre (GRREC) – a joint
partnership development between Glasgow City Council and Viridor – is due
to open for business in 2016 and is set to revolutionise the way Scotland’s
largest city handles its 200,000 tonnes of annual residual and green bin
waste over a period of 25 years.
As it stands, the majority of GRECC’s external construction is complete
which will boost recycling and generate renewable energy from food and
organic material. Work on the gasification technology, which will recover
enough energy to power over 22,000 homes across Glasgow, is approaching the
finishing stage with the site’s stack.
The £5m Weir Group turbine, weighs over one hundred tonnes, and rotates at
over 5,400 revolutions per minute. [90 times a second – G] The turbine will
convert steam generated from the synthetic gas (syngas) derived from
converting residual waste, into electrical power, which will be exported to
the grid.
Alan Cumming, Viridor’s Capital Projects & Engineering Director, said: “It
has been fantastic to see such a transformation in a relatively short
timeframe. We’re delighted too that a Weir Group turbine will be at the
heart of the facility – yet another Glasgow business benefiting from this
transformative project.”
Once operational, GRREC will be one of Europe’s most advanced recycling and
energy recovery facilities, with the potential to heat the equivalent of
some 8,000 homes.
Speaking of the key 70 per cent milestone, the Leader of Glasgow City
Council, Councillor Gordon Matheson said: “Once finished, GRREC will take
us a step closer to meeting our ambition to make Glasgow a truly
sustainable European player, realising key economic, environmental and
community benefits for local people in the process.”
Rick Brawn, Managing Director, Weir Services Europe, said: “The Weir group
has been very proud to be part of the Glasgow Recycling & Renewable Energy
Centre. This installation is good news for the team at Weir, and for
Glasgow’s long term waste management ambitions.”
Once open, GRREC will offer 77 direct and indirect jobs as well and will
deliver a saving to Glasgow of 90,000 tonnes of CO2 every year.
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