Enviroparks Achieves Low Carbon Milestone  18th Feb 2016 The Enviroparks Wales £100m plus Advanced Conversion Technology facility on a 20 acre site in Hirwaun, at the head of the South Wales Valleys has passed its Milestone Requirement ahead of the required date, it has been confirmed by the Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC) which manages a number of Contracts for Difference (CFDs).

The news is timely as work on the Enviroparks Materials Recycling Facility that represents Phase 1 of the project is nearing completion, following its launch by the Welsh Government Minister for Economy, Science and Transport, Edwina Hart in May last year.

The Milestone Requirement is an important contractual requirement and has to be achieved within 12 months of entering into the CFD contract. LCCC CEO Neil McDermott said: “Low Carbon Contracts Company proactively manages CFDs in a way that builds investor confidence. We are pleased that Enviroparks has successfully met its Milestone Requirement in advance of its Milestone Delivery Date. We have had an ongoing and constructive dialogue with all CFD projects since they were signed in March 2015 to ensure they have the best possible chance of meeting their Milestone Requirement and contributing to the low carbon future of the UK.”

Enviroparks is a Welsh company and the only operator in the country to receive UK government backing via a £150m, 15 year renewable energy subsidy to produce green electricity from the advanced thermal treatment of waste. This energy will be used to power the bespoke Hirwaun industrial site with spare capacity green electricity sold to the electricity market.

The first phase of the multi-phase project based around green energy, will create some 200 jobs during construction, and around the same number of jobs in the long term. Enviroparks’ managing director David Williams said: “This is a great boost for us, as we are the only Gasifier / Advanced Thermal Treatment to achieve the Milestone Requirement, and it comes as we near the schedule completion of Phase 1”. Enviroparks has an environmental permit from Natural Resources Wales to build a materials recycling and fuel preparation facility and associated site infrastructure in Phase 1. Phase 2 will see the development of a gasification plant to produce electricity from the fuels produced on site by Phase 1. Phase 3 will focus on producing electricity from organic wastes via the Anaerobic Digestion facility. A key part of the Enviroparks concept is the co-location of a ‘high energy user’ who will occupy the 10,000 square meter industrial unit planned for the northern half of the site. Discussions to secure an appropriate occupier are underway with the additional economic benefit this is expected to deliver.

Along with the Welsh Government, Enviroparks is also working with construction partner Dawnus; Zeus Renewables, expert financiers in the renewable energy sector; consulting engineers Pell Frischmann; consultants ChandlerKBS; and specialist property asset managers Best International.

Once the plant is operational, non-hazardous domestic and commercial (shops, small businesses etc.) waste will come on site before dangerous items, such as gas bottles, are removed. The waste is then shredded and sorted according to size, and metals and plastics are removed. What remains is a Refuse Derived Fuel, which will be used to generate electricity.

The Enviroparks development will provide significant economic benefits for the South Wales Valleys, creating a number of jobs while the site is being developed, and a similar number of full time jobs on completion. Inward investment into the region is expected to reach as much as £170m.