AN independent report has claimed the technology planned for the controversial Brent Cross Cricklewood waste centre has “clear environmental benefits”.

Critics have long argued the facility, which would be located on the Bestway store in Edgware Road, will be an incinerator, and have campaigned against it on the grounds it would severely impact on the health of people living close to it.

Developers of the £4.5bn project however, have always insisted the “waste handling plant” will use gasification systems to turn rubbish into a gas, which will then be used to fuel a power station.

London Assembly's Environment committee produced the report independent of the Brent Cross Cricklewood plans, but it outlines how the proposed technology could have potentially “huge” impacts “both environmentally and economically” across the capital.

The 34 page publication, entitled “Where there's Muck there's Brass: Waste to energy schemes in London”, was designed to set out and evaluate the new technologies in converting waste to renewable energy and heat, and to discuss the potential of establishing those technologies in London.

The committee said it was focused on investigating ways of processing waste into energy “away from traditional incineration”.

The report states: “Advanced thermal treatment (ATT) technologies like gasification and pyrolysis are beginning to make themselves available in our city.

“Gasification does not produce the tar which is produced by pyrolysis and although the gas is of a lower calorific value, it is cleaner than traditional pyrolysis processes.

“The opportunities of this process include the vast amounts of hot water produced so it would be beneficial to be linked to a district heating scheme.”

The process of non-incineration waste to energy technologies, the report continues, would help London to meet various environmental targets, “namely reducing greenhouse gases, reducing waste sent to landfill and increasing renewable energy generation”.

The report does suggest it is “unproven technology” and claims that despite a small number of demonstrator projects, “there is little evidence of these new technologies (especially gasification and pyrolysis) performing at full commercial scale in the UK”.

Jonathan Joseph from the Brent Cross Cricklewood Development Partners, has claimed the rhetoric coming from campaigners amounted to "scaremongering", and said he welcomed the endorsement from the committee.

He said: “As well as dramatically reducing the volume of waste sent to landfill, our plans will create energy to provide electrical power, district cooling and heating for the regeneration area in a safe, clean and environmentally sound way.

“The report also marks the clear distinction between the kind of technology proposed within our scheme and incineration.

‘We hope this backing will help reassure local people that what we are proposing is right for Brent Cross Cricklewood and precisely the kind of approach other parts of London should be taking to minimise harm to the environment in the future.”

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WHAT IS GASIFICATION?

Gasification involves heating material to a high temperature (600 – 1200 degrees centigrade) with oxygen.

A char residue plus synthetic gas is produced (syngas) -typically methane, carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

This syngas can be used to produce heat, fuel for gas engines / turbines or for liquid fuel production.