THE WP2 PROPOSAL

Proposals were unveiled in 2004 for a thermal treatment plant next to St Cuthbert’s Paper Mill, which would be used to convert industrial waste into electricity through a process called flash pyrolysis. Wells Power and Waste Processing (WP2), the company behind the application, has offered assurances that this process is completely safe, and that by turning waste into energy at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen, the risk of creating toxic chemicals will be eliminated. 

The plant is initially proposed as a pilot phase built by 2006, then full scale by 2008. WP2 plan to process 45,000 tonnes per year of industrial and commercial waste from Somerset and beyond, including paper, contaminated wood and plastics at Haybridge. WP2 claim that this pyrolysis incinerator will turn the materials into gas, which will be burned to produce electricity to be sold to the national grid

WEPG has carried out considerable research and have spoken with Somerset County Council, the Environment Agency, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and many environmental organisations. We have concluded that pyrolysis of waste with energy recovery is essentially no different to mass-burn incineration with energy recovery. Both only recover the calorific value (the heat-generating energy) of the waste. The energy that's gone into its manufacture is lost.  

Site Location

The map shows that Wookey, Wookey Hole, Haybridge and most of Wells lie within a 2km radius of the proposed site. With the prevailing westerly or southwesterly winds any toxic emissions will be directed towards the main population areas of Wells.

Proposed access will be a one-way system with entry via Titlands Lane (turning off A371, left of site) and exit via Glencot Lane (turning off A371, right of site). 

WEPG’s Views of the WP2 Proposal

Pyrolysis treatment of industrial refuse (wood, paper, plastics) is a new, untried and untested technology and there are no commercially operating plants in the UK from which reliable emissions data is available. Whilst promoted as a clean and advanced thermal treatment process, the WP2 waste processing facility is essentially an incinerator capable of generating dioxins and other pollutants, despite contrary marketing claims.

The pyrolysis technology chosen by WP2, is to be supplied by Graveson Energy Management (GEM) who have yet to build a successfully operating licensed plant in the UK. 

Like Wells, Canterbury was threatened with a similar pyrolysis incinerator but after an action group informed the public about the true nature of the technology (experimental, commercially unproven, source of toxic emissions, destruction of reusable resources) the planning application was withdrawn following 3,000 objections. 

This is an inefficient and un-maintainable waste management method. It ensures the continuation of the manufacture of un-sustainable plastics and other items for the life of the treatment plant encouraging an 'accumulation without end' philosophy, being primarily concerned with private profits, over and above any effects on the community and the environment.

WEPG has identified the main objection points, which can be read by clicking here.

In Summary