Steelwork creating West Midlands sustainable energy plant

More than 5,000 tonnes of structural steelwork is being used to build the Kelvin Energy-from-Waste facility, which is rising up on a plot adjacent to the M5 motorway in West Bromwich.

Once operational in 2026, the plant will be capable of processing up to 395,000 tonnes of residual (post-recycled) waste to generate 44MW (gross) of home-grown electricity.

According to enfinium, the client and operator, the project is expected to create more than 400 jobs during the construction phase, and 40 or more full-time jobs once operational, bringing significant economic benefit and investment to the local area.

It is also generating millions of pounds of economic activity during its construction, and supporting the West Midlands Combined Authority’s ambition to achieve net-zero emissions by 2041.

Measuring nearly 200m in length and reaching a maximum height of 54m, the facility is divided into two halves by a movement joint that separates the boiler house and processing zone in the west, from the refuse bunker and tipping hall in the east.

Because of the need to have a large column-free interior for the various items of machinery and processing areas, the majority of the facility is formed with a series of roof trusses that are more than 30m long.

Working on behalf of main contractor Acciona, Hambleton Steel (part of Embrace Steel) is fabricating, supplying and erecting the steelwork.