A new waste recovery system for the city of Cardiff has just been installed and could soon be used to heat public and commercial buildings with a district heating network. The new project is a 30 MW waste recovery and transformation system called Trident Park.

Trident Park will be operated by the Viridor waste management company and could provide up to 85% of the heat required by the city, for a total investment of approximately $ 38 million.

Processing 350,000 tons of waste per year

The plant is expected to burn up to 350,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste per year, with this waste coming from the nine local authorities located in South East Wales. At the same time, the plan includes a backup heating system that will serve as an alternative solution in the event of Trident Park maintenance failures.

According to Mr Michael, a member of the firm for Clean Streets and the Environment, this project offers an interesting opportunity for the city of Cardiff, as it will allow the development of new low-carbon energy infrastructure, powered by already existing facilities in the city.

Saving 5600 tonnes of carbon each year

Based on the data provided in the project’s feasibility study, this facility will also save about 5,600 tonnes of carbon each year, assuming a 5% savings in energy costs for the project. buildings that connect to the network.

However, the deployment of this project still depends on several factors. First, it will require external funding and collaboration with the Welsh Government. Secondly, long-term contracts must be concluded for the use of the heat generated by the network.