£100m waste energy power plant planned

US renewable energy specialists Forever Green Enterprises and International Power Group have announced a partnership to build a $227m (£128m) plant to convert medical and chemical waste into hydrogen, ethanol and electricity.

The firms claim the 60-acre site in La Fontaine, Indiana, will take about 22 months to build and will process up to 750 tonnes of waste per day when fully operational. FGE will own 75 per cent of the plant with IPG owning the remaining portion.

"They will help us bring a process that cleans the environment while simultaneously producing low-cost energy, fuels and industrial products to many locations within the US and the rest of the industrialised world," said Michael Kelly, FGE's chief executive.

An increasing number of organisations are recognising the opportunities from generating energy from waste. Earlier this year, another company in this space, Covanta Energy, announced the expansion of a scheme to use waste materials from the fishing industry to generate electricity. Approximately one tonne of derelict marine debris equals enough electricity to power one home for 25 days, the company claims.

“Marine debris poses a real threat to the environment and we are pleased to be part of the effort to reuse abandoned gear as a source of energy to power the region’s homes and businesses," said William Corso, deputy assistant administrator of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s National Ocean Service, which is backing the scheme.