Offering Suffolk residents in the UK a waste recovery solution that is both attractive and economical

When in 2010 the county of Suffolk decided to appoint a specialist to design, build and operate a household waste-to-energy unit, SUEZ proposed a PPP project. An ideal solution as Suffolk aimed to be the greenest county in the UK and this arrangement lightened its own financial contribution to the project. Last but not least, architectural quality meets energy recovery! 
The mission

Successful private finance initiative in Suffolk

The Suffolk country waste management authorities were seeking a specialist to build and operate a household waste-to-energy plant. 
 
They also wanted to limit their investment by signing a private finance initiative contract, akin to a public-private partnership. In such a partnership, the private sector partner provides the initial funding to develop the infrastructure and the local community pays for the waste management service. At the end of the contract, the facility can be handed over to the local authority or be retained in the private sector. 
 
Suffolk county council trusted the experience of SUEZ to lead the project, both in terms of financial engineering and technical expertise.
730,100
inhabitants in Suffolk
269,000
tonnes of waste to process per year
Our solution

An economical, environmentally-sound solution

Leading edge waste to energy
SUEZ designed, built and financed the waste to energy plant in Suffolk and continues to operate it. The unit has been operational since 2015.
Instead of being stocked, waste is incinerated and the energy produced by combustion is used to generate electricity and heat, which are consumed locally. In this way energy production from waste contributes to the circular economy.

An economical alternative for the county authorities

  • Under the private finance initiative, the local authorities did not have to provide funding for the project, as £1 billion of private investment was secured.
  • Waste to energy is a smart alternative to a costly landfill solution.
  • The solution implemented saves the public coffers £350 million over the 25 years of the contract.

Harmonious integration into the environment
It was essential to ensure the plant was harmoniously integrated into the environment. SUEZ worked with international architects Grimshaw. They produced leading edge architecture with a unique layout and seamless integration into the surrounding environment.

The results
As an innovator in waste management, SUEZ is way ahead of environmental protection policies with this shining example of waste to energy technology. In this way SUEZ contributes to confirming Suffolk's ambition to become the greenest county in the country. 
 
Lastly, air quality is preserved, demonstrated by measurements taken by the county council before and after the unit was built: resulting emissions are well below the strict limits laid down by the UK Environment Agency. 
75,000
tonnes of CO2 prevented each year
43
local jobs created
64,640
tonnes of ash residue recovered and recycled
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