Mersey Miracle
5 January 2010
In the Middle Ages alchemy sought to transform base
metal into gold. Today, Costain is involved in creating almost as
miraculous a transformation - turning sewage sludge into
energy.
When the new incineration stream at Mersey Valley Processing
Centre (MVPC) in Shell Green, Cheshire, comes online for the first
time next spring, these bio-solids will find a useful new purpose
generating electricity. The old alchemists would have been
impressed.
The MVPC caters for the population of the Manchester and
Liverpool areas. Under a 50-50 joint venture with Veolia Water
Solutions and Technologies, Costain is building a new incineration
stream at the facility for longstanding client United
Utilities.
The £92million contract is for the design, procurement,
construction and commissioning of the new incineration stream. Two
such streams already exist at the plant and these will become
back-ups once the new one is operational.
"The sludge has quite a high calorific value and, once it gets
to a certain temperature, burns of its own accord. You don't have
to add oil or gas to it," explains Phil Appleby, Costain's Sector
Director for Water (North). Heat given off by the incineration
process will be used to generate electricity for the plant,
providing around 50% of the facility's needs and thus improving the
MVPC's green credentials, he adds.
Challenges for the team handling the project include working
around an operational plant as they install the new equipment,
together with the sheer scale and complexity of the contract, he
says.
Pictured right - Mersey Valley Processing Centre (MVPC),
Shell Green.