Rail switch sees West Yorkshire energy-to-waste facility slash emissions
Pre-existing rail infrastructure used for a single journey displaced 40 trucks in a new milestone for the site.
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Receiving its first delivery by train this past weekend, enfinium’s Ferrybridge waste-to-energy facility received 700 tonnes of household refuse, reducing transport emissions by 76% per freight tonne-kilometre.
Conducted by SUEZ Recycling & Recovery UK, the rail delivery removed 40 trucks from the country’s roads, and has also highlighted the potential for Ferrybridge to be connected to nearby carbon capture and storage [CCS] facilities by rail rather than pipeline.
Enfinium currently has plans to deploy CCS across all its sites, with £1.7billion earmarked for investment in this area. Once operational, the combined impact could generate 1.2million tonnes of high quality carbon removals annually. However, in order for this to be possible it will be necessary to develop effective ways of transporting captured CO2.
‘I am delighted that this trial has connected Ferrybridge to the UK’s rail network for the first time. I am grateful for the support of SUEZ and Freightliner in enabling us to achieve this step. It has opened up a range of opportunities for the business to help local authorities around the UK divert their unrecyclable waste away from climate damaging landfill,’ said Dr Jane Atkinson, CBE, Chief Operating Officer at enfinium.
‘Rail transport is a critical part of our plans to transform our Ferrybridge site into a decarbonisation hub. Not only will greater use of rail reduce our emissions, it marks an important milestone for our carbon capture deployment plans,’ she continued. ‘Transporting CO2 by rail to a coastal cluster for permanent storage offshore is one of the ways we can accelerate the decarbonisation of this strategically important site and help the West Yorkshire region achieve its 2038 Net Zero target.’
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Image: enfinium