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Riverside 1 has been operational since 2011; alongside it, we’re currently constructing a second energy from waste (EfW) facility, Riverside 2.
Together both EfW facilities will be able to process more than 1.5 million tonnes of non-recyclable (also known as residual) waste a year, providing enough partially renewable baseload electricity to power 371,000 homes.
Cory is also working in partnership with the energy company Vattenfall to deliver a district heating network (Riverside Heat Network) that will provide heat to local homes and businesses.
A heat transfer station is the interface between the Proposed Scheme and the Riverside Heat Network, consisting of the main operating plant and water treatment equipment to support the heat system, thermal storage and potentially back up heat generating plant in the event of outages.
Riverside 1
Riverside 1 is one of the largest EfW facilities in the UK and the only one with river infrastructure for transporting and receiving waste.
Today, Riverside 1 processes up to 850,000 tonnes of residual waste a year – enough to fill St Paul’s Cathedral 12 times.
It also produces enough partially renewable baseload electricity to power the equivalent of 195,000 homes.
The incinerator bottom ash, a byproduct of the EfW process, is transported by river to a site at Tilbury Docks to be recycled into construction aggregate.
Riverside 2
Riverside 2 is under construction and due to become operational by 2026.
It will help ensure that more of the residual waste generated within London and the South East of England will not end up in landfill or be exported overseas.
It will be one of the largest and most efficient EfW facilities in the UK, processing around 650,000 tonnes of residual waste and recovering enough partially renewable baseload electricity to power 176,000 homes each year.
The facility will use well-established moving grate incineration technology, which is being successfully used across many operational EfW facilities in the UK, including Riverside 1, and globally.
The incinerator bottom ash will also be transported by river and processed at Tilbury Docks for use as a construction aggregate.