Ørsted says its Renescience energy-from-waste technology is currently “in a divestment process.”
The technology is described as “unique” in that it uses mechanical processes and enzymes to turn unsorted and untreated household waste into biogas (that can be used to generate power via piston), recyclable materials and non-recyclables.
The first “commercial-size” Renescience facility (3 MWe), located in Northwich, UK, was commissioned in 2020, after several years of delay (not entirely unexpected with an innovative first-of-a-kind project). It is understood that the problems were on the mechanical side of the plant, due to the nature of the incoming waste, rather than with the enzyme based process itself.
The capacity was reduced from an anticipated 120 000 tonnes of waste per year to to 80 000 t/y, with Ørsted taking an impairment charge of around 50 million GBP.
