2018

23^rd November 2018: Big Bang science fair
In partnership with Mount Tamar school, MVV will be hosting a Big Bang schools science fair on Wednesday 12th December for local schools. This year’s event is tailored to the special schools around Plymouth with 150 students invited across the day. We are excited to have been asked to be part of this event as we aim to encourage young people into Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths related subjects as well as delivering waste education through our visitor engagement programme.

25^th October 2018: Annual Community Open Day
We would like to thank everyone who attended the Facility open day yesterday – we had a record 230 people pass through, enjoying site tours, craft, food and performances across the day. MVV staff were hands-on, helping with everything from making Halloween crafts and cups of tea to managing the volunteers and logistics of the day so that everyone was able to have lots of fun in a safe environment. We are planning to hold next year’s event in the summer holidays so look out for confirmation of the date.

24^th October 2018: Coloured lights
You may have noticed that the lights on the side of our Facility have been changing colour recently; we have joined other buildings in the city to show our colours in support of various worthy causes. During the week beginning 8th October, the lights were blue and pink for Baby Loss Awareness week; on Friday 19th October they were hot pink for Breast Cancer Awareness; we have been asked by the Saltram Rotary Club to turn them purple tonight for World Polio Day – you can read their press release here.

22^nd October 2018: Annual Community Open Day
Our Facility open day is nearly here! This Wednesday, 24th October, we invite the whole community to come along and join in the fun from 11am to 3 pm: site tours, ‘Drowning in Plastic’ performances, Halloween crafts and face painting, bird and bat box making, foraging and cooking in the woods, food and more – all for free. We look forward to seeing you there.

24^th September 2018: Annual Community Open Day
Save the date! We will be holding our annual Facility open day on Wednesday 24th October this year between 11 am and 3 pm; there will be food, site tours and various indoor and outdoor activities for families to come along and enjoy. Everything is free of charge and we hope to see even more people than last year joining in and having fun while learning about what happens to their waste (and what they can do to reduce it).

27^th July 2018: Work experience
As in previous years, we have once again hosted students from the local area on a week’s work experience. One GCSE student, one BTech engineering student and one A-level student each spent a week with us finding out about the different roles and responsibilities in the waste and energy industries as well as having the opportunity to shadow our operational staff in their day to day duties. We are always delighted to work with young people who are interested in careers in engineering and/or waste management. This year’s students proved themselves to be motivated individuals with a keen interest in the work that we do.

18^th June 2018: Sponsorship news
Twice a year we offer sponsorship to local projects within the SWDWP area. In the spring round of sponsorship we were able to support three local projects: Horizons Sailing club, who provide sailing voyages to disadvantaged and disabled young people, including training in seamanship; the newly formed Eco-Warriors group at a Plymouth primary school, who are starting a composting scheme and setting up a wormery; and a local special school who are entering the Green Power competition which involves constructing and racing a battery powered car.

9^th June 2018: Plastic free Plymouth waterfront
Environment Plymouth have successfully secured Plastic Free Community status for Plymouth’s Waterfront – the first city district in the UK and very appropriate for Britain’s Ocean City. MVV are delighted to have supported this campaign with plastic-free pledges: We have replaced all single use water cups in office water dispensers, banned plastic cutlery when ordering from caterers and use plastic-free tea bags in our offices. Additionally, we intend to roll out these measures to our other UK branches.

30^th May 2018: Clean the Creek 2018
We would like to say a huge THANK YOU to the 120 people from the local community who came to this year’s event; everyone worked hard as well as having fun and the woods and creek look so much better now! 40 bags of litter were collected and three large bags of recyclables were separated out. So many people worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this event such a success: Surplus Rescue, BeachCare South West, Bodhi Fitness and Wellbeing, Earth Jump, Positive People and MVV staff, all played their part. We are already planning next year’s event.

30^th May 2018: Annual maintenance shutdown
As you may be aware, we shut the Facility down once a year for thorough and essential maintenance. This year’s shutdown will commence on Tuesday 5th June, with work starting on Wednesday 6th June; it is planned that the maintenance activities will last for four weeks. We will have up to 100 additional contractors on site and will not be arranging any site visits during this time.

25^th May 2018: Clean the Creek 2018
This year we will be working with Surplus Rescue, BeachCare South West, Bodhi Fitness and Wellbeing and Earth Jump to offer a day of family fun alongside our annual clean up of the neighbouring woodland and waterways; refreshments and a BBQ will also be provided. Come along to Surplus Rescue (at the bottom of Harbour Avenue, PL5 1BH) at 10am on Tuesday 29th May to join in the fun and improve the local environment for everyone to enjoy.

1^st May 2018: Clean the Creek 2018
The Great British Spring Clean activities planned for March did not go ahead due to the snow and ice; our annual ‘Clean the Creek’ event will take place alongside the ‘Big Clean’ in Blackie Woods on Tuesday 29th May 2018. We will be teaming up with Surplus Rescue - http://www.surplusrescue.co.uk/ - and other local organisations to tackle both the marine and land litter that blights the area.

In recent years, these events have been well attended and we look forward to working with the local community to clean up our neighbourhood.

28^th April 2018: Blackie Woods
In accordance with our lease agreement with the Ministry of Defence, we have closed the main path through Blackie Woods for our annual maintenance inspection; there has been some damage to fencing and gates which may require the woods to remain closed for longer than usual. The Big Clean (community litter pick and barbecue) will take place on Tuesday 29th May and further details will follow.

8^th February 2018: Waste Management Experts meet at Plymouth
MVV were delighted to sponsor the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) conference at Plymouth University – Tackling the Global Waste Crisis; speakers from various sectors of the industry, including CIWM’s President David Wilson, shared their work and experiences with each other and students on the day with nearly 90 people in attendance. After the event, delegates came back to MVV’s EfW CHP Facility for a brief tour to round off an outstanding day.

6^th February 2018: Beach clean
MVV’s Community Liaison Manager was invited to take part in a beach clean organised by Beachcare South West (part of Keep Britain Tidy); this event brought councils and other organisations together to remove marine litter (much of which is actually land litter washed into our seas by rain and rivers) from local beaches. The litter is sorted and the plastic separated to be made into kayaks for the local community.

We will also be supporting the Great British Spring Clean on Friday 2nd March by joining forces with the Camels Head Neighbourhood and Creek Clean as part of our annual ‘Clean the Creek’ activites.

27^th January 2018: ILC meeting
The January ILC meeting was well-attended as usual with sponsorship updates, plastic recycling and IBA processing all discussed. Minutes will be placed on the website once approved at the next meeting. However, two decisions were made in January that we would like to announce now; the frequency of meetings has been reduced to two per year, in January and July, although interim meetings can be called if required; our Chairman has stepped down (although he remains on the committee) and a new Chair has been elected. Previous minutes can be found here.

23^rd January 2018: Education and site visits
As we head into the new year, we are reflecting on the waste education delivered across the last term (between September and Christmas); this has included two primary school visits, five secondary school visits, seven higher/further education visits and 23 visits by other groups such as scouts, University of the Third Age (U3A), church groups and other interested parties. Tours can be booked via our website or by contacting our Community Liaison Manager, Jane Ford.

2017

23^rd December 2017: Anti-Litter Alliance
One of the projects we recently sponsored has successfully mobilised the local community. The Anti-Litter Alliance aims to rebrand rubbish and encourage people to make the leap from anger to action by simply picking it up; they have been so successful that the local paper has reported on their commitment and they were out on the streets the day before Christmas Eve. The next plan (as well as continuing to pick up litter from the local area) is to produce a play to take into schools so that young people are aware of the impacts of littering and (hopefully) become less likely to do so themselves.

7^th November 2017: Successful Community Open Day
On Friday 3rd November we held our first Community Open Day with site tours, waste, recycling and STEM activities in the visitor centre as well as forest schools, bushcraft and music in the woods. Ample and very tasty food was provided by the Real Junk Food Project and Bodhi Fitness and Wellbeing Ltd. More than 50 people came along on the day. Their feedback will help us to plan future events: We aim to hold a community open day every year, providing an opportunity for people to come and meet our staff as well as find out more about how we operate.

24^th October 2017: Incinerator Liaison Committee
The next quarterly meeting will be held this Thursday 26th October from 6 pm at the Energy from Waste CHP Facility; please contact our Community Liaison Manager, Jane Ford, on 01752 393156 / 07876 135632 /  jane.ford@remove-this.mvvuk.co.uk  for more information.

20^th October 2017: Herald reporters visit MVV
On Friday 6th October, we were visited by a reporter from the Plymouth Herald; not only did they take a full tour of our site but videoed the experience as well. Reporter Rachel Dodd posted an online report of her visit on Sunday 8th October, which can be viewed here. We have always operated an open-door policy and welcome visits and tours by appointment, as well as maintaining our Liaison Committee which meets quarterly. A further opportunity to come and see what we do presents itself on Friday 3rd November when we will be holding our first ever community open day.

3^rd October 2017: Annual maintenance shutdown
Our annual maintenance shutdown is now complete and we have been burning waste again since Tuesday 26th September. We are pleased to announce that the improvements to the shutdown fan and filter system successfully prevented any repeat of the odour issues experienced last year. All planned maintenance activities were completed within the three weeks, enabling the Facility to continue to run as efficiently as possible. Next year’s outage will take place in June 2018 and last for four weeks.

29^th August 2017: Annual maintenance shutdown
About once a year we shut down the Facility for around three weeks to carry out routine maintenance. This year’s shutdown will take place between 4th and 26th September. During this time we will continue to receive waste from the councils, keeping it out of landfill. There will be additional contractors working across the site but the majority of the activity will be inside the operational areas of the Facility. You may notice more cars than usual in our car park and other vehicles around site as well as additional welfare facilities for contractor use.

22^nd August 2017: Boiler cleaning
About once a year we shut down the Facility for about three weeks to carry out routine maintenance. This year’s shutdown will take place between 4th and 26th September. For the first time, we will conduct online cleaning of the boiler beforehand. This involves setting off small, controlled shockwaves inside the boiler to clean the pipework. This work will take place between the 30th August and 1st September. People outside the Facility may hear the warning claxon, followed by a small detonation. This activity will only take place during the day.

28^th July 2017: Education and site visits
As the schools and colleges break-up for their summer holiday, we are reflecting on the waste education delivered across the last term (since Easter); this has included seven primary school visits, five secondary school visits, two higher/further education visits and 20 visits by other groups such as Rotary clubs, Women’s Institute and other interested parties. Tours can be booked via our website or by contacting our Community Liaison Manager, Jane Ford.

10^th – 28^th July 2017: Talent Group visit
We continue to work with City College Plymouth, supporting their International Partnerships team to deliver student exchange programmes. The College hosted MVV’s Talent Group again this summer with apprentices from Mannheim spending three weeks with host families in Plymouth; during their time in Plymouth the apprentices worked on two projects, one to design and build a perpetual motion machine and the other to plan an open day at the EfW CHP Facility – more details on this to follow.

10^th – 21^st July 2017: work experience
For the first time, this year we have been delighted to help young people gain a valuable insight into the world of work; five students from different schools in the area each spent a week working with our staff to better understand the range of jobs available in the waste and engineering sectors.

2016

Thursday 27^th October 2016: Incinerator Liaison Committee
As previously advertised, our Liaison Committee meetings are held quarterly on the last Thursday of the month. Tonight’s meeting will take place in the visitor centre from 6:30pm and the next meeting will be on 26^th January 2017.

Thursday 22^nd September 2016: Odour Mitigation Update

As you may be aware, one of the items on our odour mitigation programme is maintenance to the waste bunker smoke vents located in the roof. Our contractor is on site today and they will need to open and close these vents in order to assess the work that still needs to be done and carry out essential maintenance. We will ensure that they are open for as short a time as possible but apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused.

Thursday 18^th August 2016: Fire Engines on Site

Fire engines attended our site last night, as part of our standard procedure, due to a small smouldering fire in the waste bunker. The waste was fed into the furnace and the safety systems performed as they should, including opening the roof vents to clear the smoke. There were no explosions in the boiler and no cause for alarm.

Tuesday 2^nd August 2016: Maintenance and odour update

Further to our update on 12^th July, we can confirm that a number of additional steps have been taken to minimise the possibility of odours escaping from our Facility. Additional sealing works have been undertaken and measures have been put in place to increase the draw of air through the smelly areas and into the fire. We continue to fine-tune all of the systems and will keep you updated on our activities.

As part of our ongoing maintenance activities, this week has seen work being carried out on the smoke vents in the roof of the waste bunker. Unfortunately, this has required the smoke vents to be opened during the day both yesterday and today, resulting in the release of smells into the surrounding area. Our contractors are working to complete this maintenance as quickly as possible. We would like to apologise to those who have experienced unpleasant odours.

Wednesday, 13^th July 2016: Awards for Plymouth student

Since 2012, MVV Energie and City College Plymouth have been engaged in a successful exchange program. One of the City College Plymouth students who took part in this year’s Erasmus Plus Exchange programme to MVV headquarters in Mannheim has been recognized for her achievements. In an awards ceremony she received both the Business and Enterprise Student of the Year and the special Enterprise Award. A full report can be found here.

Tuesday 12^th July 2016: Improving odour control

During our recent maintenance shutdown, a number of residents have experienced unacceptable odours. The main cause of these issues is a technical defect with the shutdown filter fan system. We are addressing this fault as quickly as possible and the filter cartridges have been replaced in the interim to prevent future odour issues. Additionally, we will continue to seal further openings in the building. We are working closely with the Environment Agency to resolve the problem and would like to thank all of the residents who contacted us with their concerns. They have greatly helped us to identify areas for improvement in our operations.

Saturday, 9^th July 2016: Official Opening

The Plymouth Energy from Waste Combined Heat and Power Facility has today been officially opened by Councillor Roger Croad, chairman of the South-West Devon Waste Partnership (SWDWP) in the presence of Dr Georg Müller, CEO of MVV Energie AG, and Mr John Meaken, Head of Naval Safety at HMNB Devonport. The official opening was marked by the ringing of a large bell at the entrance to the Facility’s site. This bell is part of an artwork called “Redivivus” by the renowned Cornish artist Alastair Mackie. It was cast from aluminium recovered from the bottom ash of the waste combustion process in the Facility.

Tuesday 14^th June 2016: Maintenance update

We are aware that odour has been noticeable in the vicinity of our Facility over the weekend. Investigations have found a smoke vent to be faulty and remaining open. This has now been remedied. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and assure you that we aim to operate considerately at all times.

Tuesday 7^th June 2016: Annual maintenance shut-down

Every year we will shut down the Facility for around three weeks to carry out routine maintenance. During this period, we will continue to receive waste from the councils, keeping it out of landfill. This planned shut-down will usually take place in the summer and this year has commenced this week.

The maintenance shut-down will require additional contractors working across the site but the majority of the activity will be inside the operational areas of the Facility. You may notice more cars than usual in our car park and other vehicles around site. Staff will be working 24-hours a day (as they already do) but there will not be any noisy works taking place outside of buildings at night time.

The maintenance activities will mainly involve inspections and some replacements. There will also be some modifications on this occasion to improve the overall operation of the Facility.

23^rd May 2016: Incinerator Liaison Committee (ILC)

The next ILC meeting will be held this Thursday, 26th May 2016, from 6:30pm in the visitor centre at the Facility. Anyone wishing to attend should contact Jane Ford, our Community Liaison Manager, on 01752 393156 / 07876 135632 or by email: jane.ford@remove-this.mvvuk.co.uk.
Meetings take place quarterly on the last Thursday of the month. These are open for anyone who is interested to attend but please register your interest with our Community Liaison Manager beforehand.

31^st March 2016: Welfare Facilities

We have applied for planning permission to install three small buildings adjacent to our workshop/stores building at the southern end of our site. These will provide welfare facilities for contractors working on site during our scheduled maintenance shut-down in June. The planning application can be viewed on Plymouth City Council’s website via their planning portal and the planning application number is: 16/00550/FUL

29^th March 2016: Lost property

On Tuesday 29th March a gold ring was found on the floor of our tipping hall. The ring had fallen from one of the waste delivery vehicles and has a distinctive inscription and hallmark. Anyone who believes the ring may belong to them should contact our Community Liaison Manager, Jane Ford, on 01752 393156 / 07876 135632 or via email on: jane.ford@remove-this.mvvuk.co.uk
Please note that whilst we are keen to return the ring to its rightful owner, anyone trying to claim it will need to provide the correct inscription as a means of identification.

27^th March 2016: Unplanned shut down

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to shut down our Facility in the early hours of this morning. The safety systems kicked in as they should and steam was vented from the roof of the boiler house. We would like to apologise for any disturbance this may have caused and assure you that our engineers are working hard to resolve the problem.

14^th March 2016: Blackie Woods maintenance

The gates at either end of Blackie Woods are locked for two weeks so that we can undertake routine maintenance. This also gives us the opportunity to complete landscaping work on the new wildlife pond and creek viewing area. The gates will be unlocked on Monday 28th March.

26^th February 2016: Erasmus Plus European exchange programme

A group of students from City College Plymouth completed a two week exchange visit to MVV headquarters in Mannheim. Working with their German exchange partners, the students completed two projects; they produced a virtual tour of the Energy from Waste Facility in Mannheim and developed a technical update for the presentation technique of this tour. Both of these are planned to be adapted to and integrated into the Visitor Centre at our Plymouth Facility.

18^th February 2016: Incinerator Liaison Committee (ILC)

The next ILC meeting will be held next Thursday, 25th February 2016, from 6:30pm in the visitor centre at the Facility. Anyone wishing to attend should contact Jane Ford, our Community Liaison Manager, on 01752 393156 / 07876 135632 or by email: jane.ford@remove-this.mvvuk.co.uk
Future meetings will take place quarterly on the last Thursday of the month. These will be open for anyone who is interested to attend but please register your interest with our Community Liaison Manager beforehand.

27^th January 2016: Women in STEM event

We were delighted to host the 5th Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) networking event at our Devonport EfW CHP Facility. With nearly 60 attendees, including educators and industry representatives, all sharing a common goal to encourage young people and especially girls to choose STEM subjects at school; the evening was a huge success with site tours, a technical presentation and STEM activities seeing the visitor centre full for the first time.

2015

26^th November 2015: Incinerator Liaison Committee (ILC)

Our recent ILC meeting was well-attended and minutes will be published online once agreed by the Committee at the next meeting. Minutes from previous meetings can be found here. The group discussed how meetings should be run going forward and it was agreed that the current committee membership was sufficient for making decisions but that future meetings should be more open, allowing members of the public to attend if they wish. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday 25th February 2016 from 6:30 pm until 8:00 pm at the EfW Facility. This will be publicised on our website and in local media closer to the time.

25^th November 2015: Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE) Awards

The Devonport EfW CHP Project has won the Public Sector Award in the 2015 ADE awards. The judges were impressed with the scale and ambition of the project, particularly with how unusual it is. They noted how the flexibility of the design lent itself to future proofing the project by giving it a greater scope to widen the network in future.

12^th November 2015: Incinerator Liaison Committee (ILC)

The next meeting of the ILC will be held on the evening of Thursday 26th November 2015 from 6:30 pm in the Community Area at the Energy from Waste Facility. We will be discussing how the group will function once the Facility is operational. Anyone with an interest in joining the ILC or attending a meeting to find out more should contact our Community Liaison Manager, Jane Ford, on 01752 393156 / 07876 135632 / jane.ford@remove-this.mvvuk.co.uk

28^th October 2015: Blackie Woods

During the half term break a number of families came along to help clear litter from the path through the woods. Altogether, twenty bags of rubbish were collected of which five were recyclable materials such as plastic bottles, drinks cans and glass bottles. Another event will be arranged in due course to clear the hoggin path and deeper into the woods. We would like to encourage users of the woods to take any litter home with them for responsible disposal. 

15^th October 2015: MoD Sanctuary Awards

The Devonport EfW CHP Project was entered into the MOD’s internal Sanctuary Awards and won the Energy category. MVV’s Managing Director, Paul Carey, travelled up to MOD Headquarters in London to receive the award along with representatives from the MOD and Babcock.

2^nd October 2015: Commissioning Update

We are in the final stages of commissioning our Energy from Waste Combined Heat and Power Facility, having completed the first of a series of tests. Waste is being fed into the boiler continuously and the plant is generating electricity which diverts residual waste from landfill and reduces dependence on fossil fuels. So far we have diverted more than 77,000 tonnes of waste from landfill which has reduced waste miles and carbon emissions significantly.

Finishing works are underway, including landscaping and the creation of a drainage swale and wildlife pond to the north west of the Facility.

21^st August 2015: Commissioning Update

We are currently commissioning the façade lighting on the east side of the Facility. Initially, the system will be commissioned by our sub-contractor during the day. Once the colours and intensity are properly adjusted, the lighting scheme will be tested in the early evening.

When this is done, the lights will be lit in the evenings, as required in our planning conditions.

12^th August 2015: Commissioning Update

As we approach the final stages of commissioning our Facility we would like to thank our neighbours for their patience during this phase and apologise for any inconvenience these activities may have caused from time to time.

There have been some occasions when odour has escaped into the local community. Thanks to the help of residents who have contacted us at the time we have been able to identify the likely causes of odour release and take initial remedial action. A programme of further mitigation is underway as we continue to investigate and eliminate any remaining teething troubles.

21^st July: 2015: Commissioning Update

We have commissioned the turbine and generated electricity for the first time. The facility is now shut down briefly for a final inspection before starting up again and completing a final run before putting it into commercial operation. We are using this period to make a number of small adjustments and improvements to further reduce any impacts on the local community.

22^nd June 2015: Commissioning Update

We have recently commissioned an additional heat exchanger which allows us to recover yet more heat from the waste and turn it into useful energy in the form of electricity or steam. This may result in an increase in the visibility of the plume that comes out of the chimney. This plume is simply water vapour, just as you would get from a kettle or a central heating boiler in a house.

10^th June 2015: Commissioning Update

As well as commissioning and testing of the operational areas of the Facility, there are a number of non-operational things which also need testing such as street lighting around the site and the lighting scheme on the east façade. This lighting scheme is part of the design agreed at the planning stage, following input from Plymouth City Council’s Urban Design Team, and it is necessary to test and perform electrical safety checks on the lights now that they are installed. Due to these checks, the lights were on last night. Once fully operational, these lights will be switched off at 11 pm so this was a one-off occurrence. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

8^th June 2015: Commissioning Update

As we progress through the commissioning sequence we would like to keep you updated on current and future activities. We have been accepting waste since the end of April and burning waste as a fuel since the middle of May. During commissioning we will shut down the boiler and fire it back up a number of times as we test various operational and safety systems. Occasionally we may have an unplanned shut down but in all cases shut downs and start-ups are carefully controlled.

All planned start-ups and shut downs will take place during the day to minimise any disturbance. On the morning of Monday 1st June 2015 an unplanned boiler shut down resulted in the lifting of two safety pressure relief valves at 02:12 for a short duration. On restarting the boiler at 03:40, the start-up vent valve was opened in accordance with normal procedures. We acknowledge that this would have been noisy and apologise for any inconvenience caused.

15^th May 2015: First Fire on Waste

Our facility has passed a series of thorough tests and is now nearing its operational state. Today, the first waste was successfully lit in the boiler. With the development progressing over the next weeks, work visible from the outside will approach normal operations. Next steps in the development include landscaping works and commissioning of the turbine, followed by the first energy being generated by the plant and fed into the grid.

27^th April 2015: Commissioning Update

The first steps of the commissioning process have now been completed. The next stage will see waste being delivered to the Facility during the normal gate opening hours, which are:

Once we are ready to start burning waste, the boiler will be brought up to temperature using diesel oil initially and waste will be fed slowly onto the grate. Once the full waste flow is reached, the diesel oil burners will be switched off and the fire becomes self-sustaining. Further testing of the steam system will be carried out and wisps of steam may be visible from areas of the facility being tested, especially the roof.

16^th March 2015: Commissioning Update

As part of the commissioning process, we will be conducting ‘dry runs’ for waste delivery and residues vehicles this week. No waste will be delivered to the site but there will be vehicles arriving and leaving. On Tuesday 17th March we are expecting four waste vehicles from the SWDWP local authorities; on Wednesday 18th March we are expecting three residues vehicles; on Thursday 19th March we are expecting approximately ten vehicles from our Commercial and Industrial waste customers.

The vehicles will be staggered throughout the day and will aim to avoid peak traffic times at Camels Head junction. Any other waste vehicles arriving at site are simply collecting waste from the construction site offices, as they have done throughout the construction period.

2^nd March 2015: Commissioning Update

Steam blowing commenced on Thursday 26th February 2015, with an officer from the Environment Agency in attendance. Noise monitoring was carried out before, during and after steam blowing and the results of this can be found in our ‘Links and Downloads’ section here.

We will continue steam blowing every day for about 15 minutes until the pipes are clean and we are satisfied that the steam no longer contains any dirt that could damage the turbine.

18^th February 2015: Commissioning Update

The diesel oil burners have now been tuned and we are preparing to heat the boiler up for the first time. No waste will be used as fuel at this stage of the commissioning process. The next step will be steam blowing, to clean the pipes. Steam will be produced and blown through the pipes to clear out small particles of dirt. The steam is then blown out through a special pipe which has a silencer on the end. You may be able to hear a sound like rushing air which could last for around 15 minutes at a time and a cloud of water vapour will rise from the silencer.

During the first steam blowing activity, noise monitoring will be conducted by our consultants and by Plymouth City Council’s Public Protection Service. In addition, an officer from the Environment Agency will be on site to oversee this activity.

4^th February 2015: Commissioning Update

As we progress through the initial stages of commissioning the Facility, we will continue to update information on our website.

Having completed the drying out of the boiler, the next step is to light it with diesel oil in order to tune the burners and get the mixture of air and fuel just right. No waste will be burnt yet and steam blowing will not take place for at least another week. It is possible however that a small amount of dark smoke may be visible from the chimney while the air/fuel mixture is adjusted. This is similar to that seen from ships idling in the Dockyard.

We will continue to keep you updated throughout the commissioning process.

28^th January 2015: Meet the Artist

As previously announced, we are arranging a 'Meet the Artist' session to provide local people with the opportunity to discuss the developing design of the entrance sculpture to be installed at the Devonport EfW CHP Facility.

Alastair Mackie will be joining us at the Sheltered Housing Community Hall, Weston Mill, PL5 1BA, from 10:30 am on Monday 2^nd February 2015. We would welcome any members of the community who would be interested in meeting Alastair and discussing this artwork to come along and join us too. Refreshments will be provided.

26^th January 2015: First heating of the boiler

This weekend a plume has been visible over the chimney of the energy from waste CHP plant at Devonport for the first time. Currently, the boiler is being heated up, using external diesel burners. This causes residual moisture from within the boiler to evaporate. The water vapour condenses in the cold outside air at the top of the chimney, and is visible as a plume. In addition, there are small wisps of steam coming from vent pipes on the roof of the building.

2014

5^th December 2014: Construction site Christmas closure

The construction site will be closed completely on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Although the site will be open between 22nd December 2014 and 5th January 2015, there will be a reduced workforce and we trust that their activities will not cause undue disturbance. In case of emergencies or urgent enquiries, our site security can be contacted on: 07805 684516.

14^th November 2014: Leonardo Da Vinci student exchange

As part of our partnership with City College Plymouth and following the successful visit by Plymouth apprentices to Mannheim earlier this year, eight apprentices from MVV in Germany came to Plymouth for two weeks to work with staff and students at City College Plymouth on engineering and business projects. The engineers worked in pairs to design miniature go-karts with a competition to design the one that would go closest to 10m under its own power. The business students produced an itinerary for a college trip to Mannheim, including costings, sight-seeing and leisure activities.
Thanks to the college for hosting the visit and arranging their activities, which included a trip to the almost complete Facility in North Yard.

30^th October 2014: Artist selected for entrance sculpture

Following the work of local students and an open call for artists to submit proposals, five shortlisted artists were interviewed over the course of a day by a panel of judges. The judges included representatives from MVV, the SWDWP, Plymouth City Council, Plymouth City Art Gallery, a local Ward Councillor and a local resident. It was an extremely difficult decision and there was much discussion after the interviews. Finally, Alastair Mackie was selected by a unanimous decision of the panel and the exciting detailed design process has now begun.
Alastair’s work can be viewed on his website at: www.alastairmackie.com and his original proposal can still be viewed on our website here.
As the design develops Alastair will be seeking to engage with the local community and we will keep you updated on progress.

24^th September 2014: Annual Fire Drill

The construction site annual fire drill will take place today and we would like to advise that the alarm may be audible outside the site boundary. Our closest neighbours have been warned via a special letter drop and the local fire brigade and MoD have also be informed. This is an important part of our safety procedures for the construction site and we trust that it does not cause undue disturbance.

17^th September 2014: Entrance Sculpture Proposals

An opportunity to view the shortlisted proposals for the entrance sculpture will be provided in Weston Mill this Friday 19th September 2014. The display will include boards produced by the artists as well as a space for you to leave comments and a sticker system for indicating your preferred idea. It will take place at the community hall:
Weston Mill Drive, Camels Head, Plymouth, Devon, PL5 1EY
From 08:30 to 15:00 on Friday 19th September (please feel free to drop in at any time during this session)

10^th September 2014: Entrance Sculpture

One of the planning conditions associated with the development of our Facility requires us to install a piece of public art at the entrance. Local schools and colleges have had the opportunity to provide input into this process and five artists have now been shortlisted for this commission. We would like to give residents a chance to give their opinions about the five proposals, which can be viewed here.

If you would like to express a preference for one of the designs or leave a comment, please do so by contacting our Community Liaison Manager, Jane Ford.

The proposals will also be on display in Barne Barton and Weston Mill for members of the public to view over the next two weeks. We will inform the public as soon as possible about venues and dates.

14^th July – 1st August 2014: Talent Group visit

Eight students from MVV Energie in Mannheim, Germany took part in a three week exchange to City College Plymouth. The aim of their project was to develop short educational films to be used at Devonport Waste to Energy Visitor Centre.

The group of talented young students from Germany attended a programme which was designed and delivered by the College. Their programme included many visits to sites around the city in relation to research, recycling and the production of energy, such as Plymouth University, Plymouth City Council, Centrica and Devonport EfW CHP Facility.

Mike Stone, Academy Manager for Higher Education in Technology, Marine and Renewables said: "It’s been a pleasure working with MVV over the last two years, being part of both research projects hosted by City College Plymouth and being lucky enough to visit Mannheim and the well-established waste to energy power stations and experience the German education system. The eight students from Germany have been creative, motivated and have produced some excellent resources for the visitor centre."

The College has been working with MVV Energie in Germany on many projects over the last two years, and we hope to continue the cooperation in the future.

29^th July 2014: Green Spaces

Ministry of Defence land at the top of Savage Road and Blackie Woods has been leased to us and is now available for the local community to enjoy. A number of improvements have been carried out by local landscaping contractor, Landscape Matters Ltd, including a kick-about area with seating and an interpretation panel as well as a traditional Devon hedgebank. Nature walks and further interpretation panels have been created in the woods which were not previously open to the public. The official opening ceremony included a ribbon cutting and presentation of footballs to Barne Barton Junior Rangers and other local youngsters who took part in a ‘beat-the-goalie’ competition. Paul Carey, Managing Director of MVV Environment Devonport Ltd stepped up as goalie on the day. Photographs can be seen here.

28^th June 2014: Leonardo Da Vinci European exchange programme

City College Plymouth have been successfully running exchange programmes with the education department of MVV Energie in Mannheim since 2012. This year two staff, two apprentices and four Higher Education students from the college visited Mannheim for a two week project, working with their German counterparts to design and build a prototype of a kite beach buggy at MVV Energie’s engineering training facility.

The students commented on the strong team working ethos in Germany and the warm welcome they had received. One of the apprentices, Jacqui Snow has also appeared on the National Agency website as part of National Women in Engineering Day.

Hans-Joachim Mayer of MVV Energie said: "The program offers young people at the beginning of their career the opportunity to go abroad. This motivates them and gives them an insight into different kinds of training and cultures. Experiences with the program are beyond expectations. Cooperation with the college works perfectly, and our apprentices and students bring with them a real treasure of impressions, ideas and experiences."

28^th May 2014: Students rewarded for creative work

Students from Stoke Damerel Primary school and City College Plymouth worked with local artists Noah Taylor, Christina Peters (both from Flameworks Creative Arts Facility) and Soraya Phillips (independent artist) to produce concept designs for the public art installation at the entrance to the EfW CHP Facility. The school and college each received a cheque for £250 as a 'thank you' for taking part in the project.

9^th May 2014: Open call for artists announced

MVV Environment Devonport Ltd will commission a piece of public art to be installed at the entrance to the Energy from Waste Combined Heat and Power Facility. Local students have had the opportunity to work with local artists and produced concept designs in response to the themes of recycling, energy and the environment.

8^th April 2014: Considerate Constructors Scheme National Site Awards

The Devonport Energy from Waste Facility construction site has been presented with a Gold Award at this year’s Considerate Constructors Scheme National Site Awards, putting the site in the top one percent of 8,500 eligible projects nationwide.
The award was given to MVV Umwelt O&M GmbH as the principal contractor and subsidiary of German company MVV Umwelt. The award reflects the commitment of the whole site team, which is recognised on the certificate itself. A copy of the certificate can be found here.

24^th February 2014: Sculpture competition

One of the planning conditions associated with our development requires us to commission and install a piece of public art near the entrance to the Facility. An initial competition for local school children has taken place, with students working alongside local artists to develop 3-D concept designs in response to the themes of recycling, waste and energy. A judging panel has been formed to choose five of these concepts to be incorporated into the artist brief for the final stage of the sculpture competition. This will involve an invitation to artists to submit proposals, short-listing of five artists to develop more detailed proposals and presentations by the artists to sell their proposals. Members of the local community will also be invited to the artists’ presentations providing an opportunity for them to make comments.

21^st/22^nd February 2014: ILC site visits

Following an increase in attendance at the latest ILC meeting, residents were invited to visit the construction site for a tour and explanation of the operational process as well as the flue gas cleaning systems. In total seven residents joined us for the visits and said that they felt much better informed about the project.

19^th February 2014: Waste Crane Bridges

Wednesday 19th February saw a milestone for the construction project as a 500T crane was used to lift the two waste crane bridges onto the waste bunker walls. The bridges sit on rails at the top of the waste bunker walls and travel along these crane rails. Each bridge supports a grab which has a working capacity of around 5 tonnes of waste and travels along the crane bridge. The waste crane is used for mixing waste in the bunker and transferring it to the furnace feed hopper.

13^th January 2014: Incinerator Liaison Committee (ILC)

The ILC was re-formed last year, with an increased membership and updated Terms of Reference. The objective of the ILC is to encourage discussion between interested parties of issues relating to the construction and operation of the EfW CHP facility. It is intended to be a forum for the open exchange of information.
The first meeting of 2014 will be held on Thursday 23^rd January at Weston Mill Oak Villa Social club from 7pm. Meetings will last a maximum of two hours. Information about members, Terms of Reference and minutes from previous meetings can be found here.

8^th January 2014: Sponsorship awarded

In the autumn round of sponsorship applications we received a request from a local resident-led gardening club and project. MED have sponsored this initiative as it aims to benefit local people by growing food, composting, collecting rainwater as well as educating children and adults about where their food comes from.

2013

December 2013: North Yard Community Trust (NYCT)

The NYCT has awarded its first round of funding and new application forms are online for the next round. A public update from the Trust can be found here.

25^th November 2013: Landscaping

The off-site landscaping works are starting to take shape, thanks to local firm Landscape Matters Ltd. As well as the informal kick-about pitch and the creation of a traditional Devon Hedgebank at the top of Savage Road, work has started inside Blackie Woods to improve the path along the old railway line and generally make the woods a beautiful area for visitors to enjoy. Whilst Landscape Matters Ltd are working in the woods, they are not open to the public, however they are on track to have substantially completed work ready for the woods and pitch to be opened up in spring 2014. Some progress photographs can be found here.

21^st October 2013: Incinerator Liaison Committee (ILC)

An open meeting of the ILC was held at the end of September to encourage more residents to join the group. The Terms of Reference have been updated and all those present agreed that they were happy for the minutes of meetings to be published on our website. The updated Terms of Reference and draft minutes from September’s meeting can be found here.

7^th October 2013: Non Destructive Testing and inspection activities

Non Destructive Testing and inspection activities commenced last week over the course of Wednesday and Thursday evenings, in accordance with the approved scheme. Noise monitoring was also carried out for the whole duration at three different receptors. According to the noise report, noise from site was minimal to non-existent and we will endeavour to ensure that future out of hours activities are similarly unobtrusive. For urgent enquiries out of normal site working hours, site security can be contacted on: 07805 684516.

23^rd September 2013: Last part of chimney secured

The chimney for our EfW CHP Facility has now been successfully erected and secured. The last of the four sections was lifted into place today, so that the chimney now stands at its final height of 95 metres. Photographs of the chimney sections being lifted into position can be found here.

16^th September 2013: Chimney arrives on site

The chimney arrives on site today in four sections, the shortest being approximately 19m in length and the longest is approximately 27m. Two very large cranes will lift the sections into place and they will be bolted together by operatives standing on temporary platforms attached to the chimney sections. Weather-permitting the first two chimney sections will be erected on Tuesday and the final two on Wednesday. The two rows of flight safety lights in the middle and at the top of the chimney will comply with the regulations of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The final height of the chimney is 95 metres. This height was determined using a sophisticated environmental model, approved by the Environment Agency, and is designed to minimise any potential impact of the EfW CHP plant on air quality.

September 2013: Incinerator Liaison Committee (ILC)

Since the planning stage of our project we have endeavoured to engage with the local community and part of this commitment has been to arrange regular meetings where people can ask questions and expect answers directly from us. These meetings run as a forum for open discussion, not just with MVV, but also with representatives from the waste partnership, Ministry of Defence and Plymouth City Council. This Committee has proven to be a valuable platform of discussion and information for everybody involved. We would therefore like to invite anyone who is interested in joining the ILC to attend a public meeting on Thursday 26^th September 2013, from 6pm onwards, at Tamar View Community Centre in Barne Barton.

26^th August 2013: Sponsorship

As a local employer, we are often asked to sponsor, for example, sports teams, community events and charity activities. We are delighted to announce that in our first round of sponsorship we are supporting Weston Mill Oak Villa Under 10s Junior Football team by providing new kit and training equipment. We also sponsored the annual Barne Barton Music Festival and Fun Day on the 26th August 2013. We will shortly be considering applications for the next round of sponsorship and information as well as application forms are available here.

17^th July 2013: Second Clean the Creek event

Local volunteers from amongst the MoD's apprentices and the University of Plymouth's environmental sciences department as well as members of the MVV team spent a very hot few hours removing litter from the banks of the tidal creek next to the construction site. The event forms part of MVV's commitment to monitor and remove litter from this area every year and was organised by Andy Smith, Director for Local Government Affairs at MVV. Items found included two mattresses, articles of clothing, plastic bags, cans and bottles. Altogether, nearly a full skip's worth of rubbish was removed and those involved were rewarded with bacon sandwiches (complete with brown sauce) and cold drinks from the site canteen. Andy Smith said, "The day has been a real success and I would like to thank everyone who came along to support us."

1^st July – 19^th July 2013: MVV Energie Talent Group visit Plymouth

Six enthusiastic students from MVV Energie’s education department visited Plymouth for three weeks to undertake a research project and to learn about waste management and its image in the UK. The visit was organised by City College Plymouth, who hosted the students during their stay. Thanks to the strong links between Mannheim and the College, forged through the Leonardo European Exchange Programme, the Talent Group will return to Plymouth every year instead of going to Canterbury University (as has been the case previously). Jane Ford, Community Liaison Manager for MVV Environment Devonport Ltd said, "It has been an absolute pleasure to work with this group of students and it has been truly inspirational. They have shown just what can be achieved in a very short space of time and really set a benchmark for future students."

29^th April – 10^th May 2013: City College Plymouth students visit Mannheim

Four students and two apprentices from City College Plymouth have just returned from a two-week exchange trip to Mannheim in Germany. The visit is part of the Leonardo European exchange programme and follows on from staff exchange visits in August and November last year. The students had a very positive experience and apprentices and staff from MVV will visit Plymouth later this year. The press release about this exchange can be found here.

8^th May 2013: North Yard Community Trust issue public statement

The North Yard Community Trust will be holding their first Public General Meeting on Monday 13th May and have issued a public statement and invitation which can be found here. The meeting will include an opportunity to meet the Trustees from each area and find out how to apply for funds from the Trust.

28^th March 2013: North Yard Construction Newsletter March is distributed

In our construction newsletter we inform about the activities on site at North Yard, Devonport, until the end of spring 2013. The current status of the construction works is illustrated by pictures in relation to our construction site. The newsletter was distributed to over 1000 households in the area. If you're interested, copies are available from our construction site office and can be downloaded as pdf in our links and downloads section.

21^st March 2013: Latest Considerate Constructors Scheme monitoring visit

The last monitoring visit resulted in a very positive report with the full five marks achieved for both the respectful and responsible categories. In addition to this good score the site has been awarded a certificate for ‘Performance Beyond Compliance’ which can be seen in our links and downloads section. We continue to strive to be as considerate as possible during the construction phase of this project.

14 ^th February 2013: Revised landscaping scheme for Savage Road land

Due to the discovery of a gas main running alongside Savage Road in the grass area, the original landscaping scheme proved to be impractical. Our environmental consultants have amended the scheme to reflect the necessary changes and a new proposal has been submitted to Plymouth City Council’s planning department for approval. The main change is to put the trees and “Devon Bank” along the south side of the grass area, with the fence along the north side. The informal playing area remains. A plan showing the proposed scheme can be found in our links and downloads section here.

11^th February 2013: 200,000 working hours without incident

Our project at Devonport has reached a significant H&S milestone: Devonport EfW has worked over 200,000 man hours without a single reportable injury or occurrence. This figure demonstrates the positive safety culture of the project and the high priority of Health&Safety within the team.

31^st January 2013: Main piling work finished

The piling works that had been ongoing since late summer have come to an end. More than 760 holes were drilled and filled with concrete. These piles now offer a secure foundation for the concrete slabs and walls of the plant which will be poured over the coming weeks.

21^st January 2013: Landscaping works

Visible landscaping works have now begun in earnest, with 18 trees being planted along Savage Road. These trees will help to screen the plant from the closest residents and were part of a planning condition associated with the planning permission. Further landscaping works will include more planting along Savage Road, the creation of a Devon Hedgebank and an informal sports pitch. Other improvements within Blackie Woods will take place but will be carefully timed to avoid disturbing local birds during the nesting season.

2012

December 2012: North Yard Community Trust

The resident and Councillor Trustees have begun meeting in shadow form to agree the legal terms for the Trust and discuss how the funding should be managed. £300, 000 will be available once the Trust is ready to take applications. The Trustees have released a public statement which can be found in the links and downloads section or on their website.

December 2012: Plymouth Chamber of Commerce

MVV has joined the Chamber in order to work more closely with local businesses and support the Local Employment Scheme, for example by encouraging smaller businesses to work together and bid more competitively for tenders during the construction phase of the project.

5^th October 2012: Next meeting of the ILC

The Incinerator Liaison Committee enables members of the community to get involved and discuss with MVV those questions relevant to the local community. The next meeting of the ILC will take place on Thursday, 11th October, 6pm, at Tamar View Community Centre. New members are welcome!

3^rd September 2012: New portal for NYCT nominees

Plymouth City Council have set up a portal where nominees for the Trust can be seen and dates for voting are advertised: http://plymouth.consult.limehouse.co.uk

27^th July 2012: Website for North Yard Community Trust

Plymouth City Council have set up a page on their website for the North Yard Community Trust. This includes the approved plan for the Trust as well as information about how to nominate people for the trust and arrangements for voting: http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/communitytrust

17^th July 2012: Three laptop computers for locals

The computer facilities sum of £1000, which was part of the Section 106 agreement, has been used to buy three laptops for local people to use. The laptops are stored at Tamar View Community Complex and can be accessed free of charge. In the long term, these facilities will enable residents to access monitoring data and other information about the Energy from Waste Combined Heat and Power facility. In the short term they are being used to support people who are looking for work but have no internet access, through a work club which runs every Tuesday morning between 9 and 11:30am at the Tamar View Resource Centre, Barne Barton.

June 21^st 2012: Preliminary works progress update

The preliminary works for the construction of the EfW CHP plant at North Yard are progressing. In a presentation to the Incinerator Liaison Committee, our Community Liaison Officer Jane Ford updated members on the current state of the works. The presentation can be downloaded here. 

May 31^st 2012: Roadworks ahead

Between Friday 8th June and Sunday 10th June 2012, some roadworks around Camel's Head Gate will be taking place. Following the widening of the North Yard Access Road, we will be carrying out surfacing works and line marking. During this period, the North Yard Access Road and Camels Head Gate will be closed to traffic. Alternative access to the Dockyard is being arranged by the MOD and access along Wolseley Road and Weston Mill Drive will not be restricted. See our letter to the nearby residents for more information.

May 31^st 2012: Partnership Awards’ Grand Prix for project Devonport

MVV Environment Devonport Ltd has been awarded the Grand Prix for the best national Public Private Partnership project for its Energy from Waste with Combined Heat and Power scheme in Devonport. Additionally, the Devonport project won the "Best Waste/Energy/Water Project" category and was "highly commended" in "Best Sustainability in a Project" category. The South West Devon Waste Partnership team won the award for "Best Local Government Project Team". The prizes were awarded by the business magazine "Partnerships Bulletin". For more details, see our press release.

6^th March 2012: Environmental Agency issues environmental permit

The Environmental Agency has issued an environmental permit for the operation of the Energy from Waste Combinded Heat and Power Plant at North Yard, Devonport. Following the granting of planning permission by Plymouth City Council and the signing of the Section 106 agreement, which sets out a wide package of benefits for the local area, MVV Environment are now able to move forward with this important project for South West Devon. The permit itself and the documents accompanying the application can be viewed and downloaded here.

20^th February 2012: North Yard Construction News issued

The preliminary works for the construction of the Energy from Waste plant at North Yard, Devonport, are about to start. We have put together the first of a series of construction newsletters with information about what is going to happen during spring 2012 on the site. You can read and download the brochure here.

3^rd February 2012: Plymouth City Council issues formal decision note

Plymouth City Council has issued the planning decision notice for the Energy from Waste Plant at North Yard, Devonport. The notice follows the signing of a Section 106 agreement which contains a number of provisions that will be beneficial for the area where the EfW plant will be built, including the setting up of a Community Fund. The complete agreement can be viewed and downloaded here.

2011

22^nd December 2011: Planning Committee of PCC grants Planning Application

The decision by the planning committee of Plymouth City Council to grant Planning Permission for an Energy from Waste plant at North Yard, Devonport, has been welcomed by MVV Environment Devonport as the applicant. The application approval is subject to the signing of a Section 106 agreement. This will include the setting up of a Community Fund, a significant financial contribution to enable low carbon infrastructure to be developed in the City plus further matters of public concern such as traffic infrastructure, enhancement of open space, biodiversity and the monitoring of emissions from the plant.

14^th December 2011: EA draft permission and report from PCC planning department

The planning department of Plymouth City Council has published its report on the Planning Application for the EfW plant (click here). Planners have recommended the approval of the Planning Application subject to the imposition of the recommended conditions and a section 106 agreement which accords with the heads of terms set out in the report. The Planning Committee of Plymouth City Council will consider the application in a meeting on the 22nd December, starting at 10am in the Council Chamber.

Additionally, the Environmental Agency (EA) has issued a draft permit for the operation of the Energy from Waste plant at North Yard, Devonport (contained within Planning Application report link above). The draft states that the EA is minded to grant the operational permit, subject to certain conditions and pending a public consultation which will take place from 19th December, 2011 to 3rd February, 2012. Following the consultation period the EA will finally decide on the application.

11^th November 2011: Further information submitted

MVV Environment Devonport Ltd has submitted to Plymouth City Council further supplementary information in support of its planning application. The package includes information on bottom ash alternatives, road drainage, an updated safety and visual assessment. The further information can be found here.

26^th October 2011: MVV means business

MVV Environment Devonport Ltd has reviewed the high level of interest shown by over 150 people who attended the company’s Industry and Employment Day at Tamar Science Park, Plymouth. The event was held to give local businesses the chance to showcase their goods and services to MVV and its subcontractors. There were also a wide range of employment opportunities on offer, which attracted jobseekers from around the region.

14^th September 2011: MVV provides planners with additional information

MVV Environment Devonport Ltd has provided further information to Plymouth City Council’s Planning Department. The Council had issued a Regulation 19 Notice to MVV, seeking clarification on a number of issues in the planning application which MVV submitted in May. The detailed additional information can be found here.

31^st August 2011: MVV office extends opening hours

Starting on 5th September, MVV Environment Devonport Ltd will extend the opening hours of ist Plymouth office. To enable people who are at work during the day to call in, the office will be open on Mondays until 7.30 pm. Additionally, MVV carries on with outreach sessions in various locations in the area. Details of these sessions can be found here.

16^th August 2011: MVV undertaking piling work at North Yard

MVV Environment Devonport Ltd will be drilling a small number of test piles to check the condition of the ground where the company is proposing to develop an Energy from Waste Combined Heart and Power (EfW CHP) facility. The nature of the work requires approval from Plymouth City Council. Accordingly, MVV has now submitted a planning application.

2^nd August 2011: MVV's experience in Germany

Those interested in MVV's experience in Germany can access the English version of MVV Umwelt's website. There is a wealth of information about MVV and the download section has several factsheets on MVV's existing plants and two corporate movies; one about MVV's latest plant in Mannheim and the other about the baling system in MVV's plant in Leuna.

28^th July 2011: MVV holds community drop-in sessions

MVV Environment Devonport Ltd is arranging a series of drop-in sessions to give local people a chance to ask questions or raise any concerns in one-to-one meetings. This initiative is part of MVV's continued commitment to keep the community informed and provide the opportunity for further feedback, questions and discussion.

Paul Carey, Managing Director of MVV Environment Devonport Ltd, said: "We are very happy with the reception of our latest round of exhibitions and the feedback we have received. We have talked to many people about their expectations and their thoughts on this project, and we want to continue this process. We appreciate that not everyone who wants to is able to visit our office, so we are arranging these sessions in the community, including one in the evening at the central library, to give more local people a chance to meet us and discuss the scheme in person."

Those who are interested can phone Amanda Booth to arrange a timeslot on 01752 565412 for a specific one-to-one discussion, or alternatively, just call in to one of the venues below on the days and times indicated.

Please note that the office will not be staffed during these times.

5^th July 2011: MVV's environmental permit application out for consultation

MVV has submitted an environmental permit application to the Environment Agency. Please also see MVV's press release on the application.

15^th June 2011:

Defra has published a highly anticipated review of current waste management practices and respective government policies. The review acknowledges that energy from waste technologies can contribute to the UK's renewable energy generation and help in preventing some of the negative greenhouse gas impacts of waste in landfill. Defra also says that higher efficiency approaches such as CHP will be increasingly required from EfW projects. MVV's plans to build a highly efficient EfW CHP plant to supply both electricity and steam to the Naval Base are fully in line with this. The full report is available for download here.

14^th June 2011: 3D computer animation of proposed EfW CHP plant is now online

During ist exhibitions in June 2011, MVV shows a 3D animation of the proposed EfW CHP plant. The animation is now available for download here. Please note that due to the size of the file, download may take some time.

8^th June 2011: Boards of public exhibitions in June 2011 are now online

MVV is currently holding a further series of public exhibitions on its plans for an Energy from Waste plant at North Yard, Devonport (Exhibition locations and dates can be found here.)

The exhibition boards from June 2011 can be downloaded here.

26^th May 2011: MVV's planning application for EfW out for public consultation

MVV Environment Devonport Ltd has submitted a planning application for an Energy from Waste plant with Combined Heat and Power at North Yard, Devonport to manage the residual waste from Plymouth, Devon and Torbay on behalf of the South West Devon Waste Partnership. The application has been registered by Plymouth City Council, the local planning authority, which will now consult on the scheme.

MVV reviewed its initial proposals following extensive public consultation in February and the revised scheme now forms part of the planning application.

Please download the full press release here.

26^th May 2011: MVV to carry out further public consultation

MVV Environment Devonport Ltd announces a further series of public exhibitions on its plans for an Energy from Waste plant at North Yard, Devonport. The exhibition locations and dates can be found here.

MVV will also hold a public exhibition in Buckfastleigh on its plans at Whitecleave Quarry. The exhibition location and date can be found here.