'Milestone' first rail waste delivery at Ferrybridge helps carbon capture plans take step forward

The energy-from-waste operator said the trial also demonstrates the potential for using rail freight to connect the plant to the Carbon Capture and Storage cluster planned for the Humber and Teesside where it is intended captured capture would be transported out to be stored under the North Sea.

The company has previously signed an agreement with green technology company Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) to test the potential of carbon capture storage at its Ferrybridge-1 site, with an initial trial starting this month.

It is part of enfinium’s longer-term ambitions to lead an investment of up to £800m in carbon capture and storage at its Ferrybridge 1 and 2 facilities. The company is also in the process of building a new energy from waste plant at Skelton Grange in Leeds, due to open in 2025 where it is also intended that carbon capture technology will be deployed.

The company ultimately hopes to generate 1.2 million tonnes of carbon removals each year.

The Ferrybridge rail delivery trial was conducted in collaboration with industry partner, SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, and rail freight and logistics company, Freightliner.

Over the course of the weekend around 700 tonnes of household waste delivered to Ferrybridge using pre-existing railhead infrastructure linking back to the site’s heritage as a coal-fired power station.

Dr Jane Atkinson CBE, Chief Operating Officer at enfinium, said: “I am delighted that this trial has connected Ferrybridge to the UK’s rail network for the first time. I am grateful for the support of SUEZ and Freightliner in enabling us to achieve this step. It has opened up a range of opportunities for the business to help local authorities around the UK divert their unrecyclable waste away from climate damaging landfill.

“Rail transport is a critical part of our plans to transform our Ferrybridge site into a decarbonisation hub.

" Not only will greater use of rail reduce our emissions, it marks an important milestone for our carbon capture deployment plans. Transporting CO2 by rail to a coastal cluster for permanent storage offshore is one of the ways we can accelerate the decarbonisation of this strategically important site and help the West Yorkshire region achieve its 2038 Net Zero target.”

Daniel Carolan from SUEZ said: “This is an exciting opportunity for SUEZ, and it builds on the significant experience we’ve gained moving waste by trains elsewhere in the country. Transporting waste by rail helps to reduce road traffic and produces significantly lower emission compared to transporting it by road.

“It was great to work with enfinium and Freightliner to make this delivery a reality and see the first waste delivery by train to Ferrybridge.

"More opportunities to move waste by train allows the industry to think differently about how waste is transported and disposed of.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Ferrybridge is the largest energy from waste plant in the UK, diverting up to 1.45 million tonnes of waste from landfill and generating enough energy to power 340,000 homes per annum.