FAQs

Where will the waste come from?
The waste used in the Air Products gasification facility will be provided by Impetus Waste Management. The waste used by the facility would otherwise be likely to be destined for landfill disposal elsewhere on the site or other landfill sites.

Our studies indicate that the necessary levels of waste can be sourced for the facility’s lifetime with the majority of it coming from the North East region .

Gasification and incineration sound like similar processes. Does gasification provide a low carbon electricity alternative?

The facility will not use incineration but instead will employ much more advanced and cleaner technology. By heating waste in an atmospheric pressure gasifier a gas, called syngas, is produced. The syngas is cooled and cleaned and then used for energy generation avoiding the need to incinerate waste

The carbon emissions from gasification facilities are extremely low. By using our advanced technology and combining it with our proprietary clean-up technology, the emission levels of the facility should be similar to those of a modern gas-fired power station. Any emissions made to the air will be strictly monitored and adhere to the stringent guidelines set by the Environmental Agency.

Using the space for landfill has never been a problem in the past. What are the key benefits of using the space for a gasification facility as opposed to landfill?

Landfill sites are expensive as well as being increasingly unsustainable, with landfill taxes rising and stringent UK targets for reducing landfill having to be met.

Gasification offers the most efficient process of gaining energy from waste, as well as utilising a resource that would otherwise be costly to dispose of.

Using energy from waste facilities also reduces methane gas produced by landfill sites, as well as diversifying the UK energy mix and strengthening our energy security.