Benefits and Architecture

Long-term advantages of the EfW plant

The EfW CHP facility at Devonport has a number of significant local benefits. Many of these benefits are long term and sustainable, and contribute significantly to individuals and businesses in Plymouth.

Waste Management benefits
  • Offering a clean, safe and reliable technology to stop around 200,000 tonnes of residual waste from households going to landfill every year
  • Providing an alternative option to landfill for local businesses
  • Recycling of around 57,000 tonnes of bottom ash for construction use every year
  • Recovering of around 7,500 tonnes of metals for recycling per year
Energy benefits
  • Providing lower cost heat and electricity to the Naval Base which is a major employer in Plymouth
  • Potentially providing heat to local businesses and homes as part of a district heating scheme
  • Replacing fossil fuels by the use of waste for making energy
  • Saving the equivalent of around 73,000 tonnes of CO2 every year- this equals more than 700 hectares of forest, the size of 1,000 football fields
Economy benefits
  • Savings for council tax payers of more than £675 million over the 25-year life of the contract – when compared with the costs of continuing to landfill the waste
  • The MOD, and thus the taxpayer, benefits from reduced energy costs and the rent from the site
  • Plymouth City Council benefits from payment of rates
Employment benefits
  • Creating 33 direct full time jobs for the operation of the plant itself
  • Creating another 70 indirect jobs during operation through companies offering support services (e.g. welding, industrial cleaning, maintenance works)
Community benefits
  • The North Yard Community Trust has been set up as an independent organisation to manage £150,000+ a year for 25 years. The funding is coming from an agreement that was part of the Energy from Waste Plant planning decision. This funding needs to be spent on local community projects in Plymouth that improve any impacts the development may have on wellbeing. All documents relating to the NYCT can be found here.Further information about the Trust can be found on the Trust's website.
  • MVV has a community area on the ground floor of the administration building of the facility which is available free of charge for local community use. Further information can be found here.
  • MVV has done extensive works in Blackie Woods, thus creating a publicly accessible recreational area.
Education benefits
  • We employ a full-time Community Liaison Manager from the local area to work with the local community on waste management, recycling and waste reduction initiatives
  • We have developed a full educational programme that complements Plymouth City Council’s existing ‘reduce, re-use, recycle’ education priorities.
  • MVV works with local colleges and organisations to support local employment.
  • MVV and City College Plymouth are engaged in the EU exchange program Erasmus Plus between Plymouth and Mannheim/Germany.

The Architecture: Building a local landmark for Devonport

The EfW CHP facility at Devonport has been designed as a local landmark, following consultation with Plymouth City Council and the public. It respects the character, identity and context of Plymouth's historic townscape and landscape and in particular Plymouth’s unique waterfront.

The design strives to be both modern and functional and showcases a world class EfW CHP facility to manage waste and produce electricity and heat representing a continuation of cutting-edge development in a dockyard that has been at the forefront of technological innovation for over two hundred years.

Lighting scheme for the outside of the building from dusk to 11pm

The appearance of the functional building has been made more elegant by the addition of "ribs" to the taller elements of the development and the air cooled condensers: a lighting scheme has been developed for the evening to make the building a major architectural element in the Cityscape without intruding on local residents.

Our Office
Devonport EfW CHP Facility

Creek Road
Plymouth
PL5 1FL

+ 44 1752 393 150

 

Our Office

Waste Delivery Enquiries
Martyn Stapleton

+44 7866 190 497

General Enquiries
Karen Purdy

+44 1752 393 150

Our Office

Community Liaison Manager
Jade Beavan

+44 1752 393 156

or mobile:

+44  7818 518 027

Emergency number
Control Room

+44 1752 393 155