At Barry Biomass, we use gasification to produce renewable, clean electricity. Biomass gasification - using organic materials to create electricity - is supported by the UK Government as a modern way to produce clean energy and reduce the need for fossil fuels.
Construction of Barry Biomass began in 2016 and when we are fully operational, we will be producing enough electricity to serve 27,000 households.
Our website is here to give you more information about our plant, the gasification process and what it means for energy production as well as our neighbours in Barry. If you have any questions please do Contact Us. In the meantime, explore our site and visit sections About Us, The Science, FAQs and News to find out more.
LEARNING MORE ABOUT US
WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT PRODUCING SAFE, CLEAN ELECTRICITY THAT WILL SERVE GENERATIONS TO COME
Our team of 16 is made up of highly-skilled and trained professionals who each play a very important role in bringing renewable energy to Barry.
The Barry Biomass plant is fully regulated and we are committed to the highest environmental and safety standards. There will be no smoke coming from our chimneys and emissions that are released will pass through a pollution control system so when it comes out, they will have no impact on the environment or on people’s health. The emissions released are all in-line with the Emission Limit Values outlined in the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED).
Barry Biomass is owned by an investment fund and is managed by Aviva Investors on its behalf. The plant and our operations are fully monitored by Natural Resource Wales (NRW) and regulated by them through our Environmental Permit.
Clean Power
BARRY BIOMASS IS A GASIFICATION PLANT THAT USES WASTE WOOD CHIPPINGS TO PRODUCE RENEWABLE ENERGY. ONLY WOOD CHIP THAT MEETS OUR STRICT QUALITY REQUIREMENTS IS USED.
THIS IS HOW IT WORKS.
Waste wood chip is delivered straight into our fuel storage building, which is enclosed to prevent wood dust from dispersing into the air. The wood chip is fed into the gasification system via a sealed, airtight conveyor belt. Any wood chip that does not meet our strict criteria will be disposed of safely, following our procedures for waste acceptance and rejection.
When the wood chip is fed into the gasification system, it is gasified. This means the wood chip is heated, not burned, to above 950 degrees Celsius, until it produces a gas called syngas. The syngas is combusted to produce a high-temperature flue gas, which passes through a heat recovery system.
The heat from this process is channelled into a conventional boiler and converted into superheated steam. The steam passes through a turbine generator, which will produce about 10MWe of renewable electricity that is fed into the local distribution network or grid. This is enough energy for 27,000 households.
An important part of producing renewable energy in this way is cleaning the flue gas to filter out any pollutants that may be present. All emissions from the plant are put through a pollution control system that filters and cleans the emissions to ensure they meet regulatory limits.
The main pollutant that will be filtered out through the pollution control system is nitrogen dioxide, with much smaller amounts of sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and acid gases. This system also includes an emission filtration system, which is designed to remove tiny dust particles. The plant will meet all emission limits set by the European Union (EU) Industrial Emissions Directive (IED).
Gasification does not produce much waste. The main solid waste will be fly ash that is created during the initial heating process. Two-thirds of the ash will be recycled and used in construction and the remaining third will be treated before it is disposed of in landfill.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Barry Biomass power plant work? +
The biomass power plant heats pre-prepared waste wood chip at high-temperatures to produce heat, which is then used to power a steam turbine to produce renewable electricity. This happens in four stages:
Delivery of waste wood: All waste wood will be delivered directly into an enclosed fuel storage building. When required, the wood chip will be fed via a conveyor system into the gasification building. Only wood chip that meets the site’s strict quality requirements will be used. Any other material or sub-standard wood chip will be rejected.
Gasification: Wood chip is fed into the gasification system through a sealed air-tight feed mechanism, where it is gasified to produce a combustible gas (called syngas). The syngas is then used to produce high temperature flue gas. The heat from this process is collected in a conventional boiler and converted into superheated steam.
Electricity generation: The superheated steam then passes to a steam turbine and generator, which will produce 10MWe of renewable electricity onto the Local Distribution Network or grid – enough to power 27,000 homes.
Flue gas cleaning: All emissions from the plant are cleaned using a system that neutralises and filters the emissions to make sure that when released, they meet the safe limits set by the EU Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) and are safe for the environment.
What is biomass? +
Biomass is a term given to any renewable fuel created from naturally occurring organic materials, in this case, waste wood chip.
Is the energy renewable? +
Yes. The energy produced through the gasification of organic materials, in our case waste wood chip, is renewable energy. The waste wood chip used for the plant is considered 100% renewable and has no carbon impact.
How much energy will be generated by the facility and where will it go? +
The facility will produce 10MWe of renewable electricity, which will go into the Local Distribution Network or grid. That is enough to power 27,000 households.
What is gasification? +
Gasification is a controlled process where material, in this case, waste wood chip, is heated at high temperatures to allow gases to be released. This fuel or synthetic gas (syngas) is then used to generate heat.
In the case of the Barry Biomass plant, heat generated through the use of gases is converted into a superheated steam, which is then used to create renewable electricity in a steam turbine generator. All emissions from the plant are cleaned to remove pollutants before being released into the atmosphere.
What emissions are emitted during the gasification process? +
The main pollutants emitted during gasification are nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, tiny dust particles and acid gases. These pollutants are passed through a pollutant control system before they come out, so they are within the limits required by the Emission Limit Values specified in the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED).
By the time the emissions are released they will have passed through the air pollution control and monitoring systems, which ensures that all emissions are safe for release into the atmosphere.
You can see the limits in the Environmental Permit issued by Natural Resources Wales.
Will your power plant be noisy when it is operational? +
The plant and main processing building have been designed and engineered to reduce and control noise, so it will not significantly impact any nearby properties.
There are strict requirements regarding noise and acoustic control, as set by the environmental permit, which we will meet at all times.
When will deliveries to the site be made? +
Deliveries to the site and all other external operations will be restricted to the following hours:
Monday to Saturday: 7am - 7pm
Sundays, public holidays and bank holidays: 8am - 4pm.
Are there any similar plants in the UK? +
Yes. There are many similar plants across the UK. The Levenseat plant which is north of Forth in Lanark, Scotland produces 12,5 MWe of renewable energy. In Shepperton, Surrey there is a gasification plant that produces 6MWe of renewable energy. Ince Bio Power in Cheshire produces 21.5 MWe of renewable energy. A 28 MWe renewable energy plant was built on the Humber River in Hull last year, while a second plant in Melton, Hull is producing 10 MWe of renewable energy. A similar 10MWe plant has been built in Boston, Lincolnshire.
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