Feedstock

Gaia Power has selected recycled wood as its choice for fuel and will procure this under long term and robust contractual arrangements.

The wood will be supplied from a variety of sources including construction and demolition waste, furniture off cuts, used pallets, cable drums and other waste wood sources. The fuel would not include treated woods such as used railway sleepers and creosote fence panels.  Each plant will use this renewable energy source to provide up to 50 megawatts of energy to the local distribution system, enough to supply over 80,000 homes.

Recycled wood has lower moisture content than forestry residues, reducing physical tonnage of wood required therefore minimising transport costs and reducing the overall Carbon Footprint.  Wood is easily managed and stored then delivered to site in a chipped form suitable for direct input into boiler via an automated conveyor system

Historically waste wood was a problem sent to landfill for disposal.  Landfill restrictions and Local Authority LATS+ schemes now encourage recycling and so will generate large volumes of potential feedstock.  The estimated amount of this wood to be recycled rather than landfilled within the uk is 10.58m* tpa. The requirement for each of Gaia Power’s plants will be a fraction of available product
           
* Source: DEFRA Waste Wood as a Biomass Fuel April 2008
+ Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme - financial incentive to encourage diversion of biodegradable waste from landfill