SITA UK's SRF plant downsized

A factory that will process recoiling material as Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) to power the Cemex Rugby cement works is to be smaller than planned.

Recycling firm SITA UK said recent advancements in Climafuel technology mean the buildings next to the Cemex plant on Lawford Road no longer need to be as big as originally thought when the idea was first drawn up over five years go. It was intended the chimney would be almost 70ft, but will now be less than 50ft. The associated buildings on the GBP18m development at Malpass Farm will also be significantly smaller.

Corrina Scott-Roy, strategic planning manager from SITA UK, said: "Essentially the facility we want to build is the same as the one which already has planning permission, but because of advances in technology we’ll be processing the waste in a slightly different way and won’t need such big buildings.

“We want to reduce the height and size of the eastern process building and at the same time improve the site layout to make sure we can get lorries in and out more efficiently.

"The western process building would remain the same, but there are no plans to build that one yet, as initially it won’t be needed.

"We think the revised plan is an improvement, but as we have a commitment to be producing Climafuel by 2015, we will go ahead and build under the old plans if necessary."

Climafuel is made from waste paper and cardboard, wood, carpet and textiles. The new plant will process around 250,000tpa of waste that will be made into Climafuel to be burned in the cement kiln as part of Cemex's plan to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. Cemex currently brings Climafuel in from a processing plant in Birmingham.

One hundred jobs will be created during construction and 25 permanent jobs once it opens at the end of next year.

Ian Southcott, from CEMEX added: "We have been successfully burning Climafuel at Rugby since 2007 and during that time we have been steadily increasing the proportion we use.

"At the moment we source Climafuel from a number of plants around the UK and to be able to secure supplies locally genuinely provides a local solution to the local problem of how best to utilise the waste that the community generates."

The revised plans will be on show at St Matthew’s and St Oswald’s Church Hall, Lawford Road, Rugby on 30-31 May.