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Landfill site 'could provide renewable energy'

19 November 2008

A proposal has been made that a landfill site in Wiltshire could have a wood burning unit built there to convert waste wood into energy, it has been reported.

The location in Wootton Bassett has been identified as an ideal spot for the £10 million renewable energy generator, which developers insist is not an incinerator.

Adam Overfield, chief executive of Purepower which has spotted the potential of the site, told the Gazette and Herald: "An incinerator is basically a glorified bonfire, whereas this is a piece of advanced technology that can transform the wood brought to the site into enough energy to power 5,000 homes."

Explaining how the state-of-the-art system works, Mr Overfield said that when the wood is wood heated up to 1,000 degrees it becomes a gas.

This, he said, can then be used as a fuel to power generators, adding that it could potentially provide enough energy to power 5,000 homes.

The UK's first wood-burning power station began producing power in November 2007 on Teesside.