Client: Lincolnshire County Council
Main Contractor: CINM/Clugston Construction
Architects: Concept: - Studio E Delivery: Weedon Partnership
Installation contractor: FK Construction Ltd 
Tata Steel products:  Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra® pre-finished steel in Jade and Black
Year: 2013

The North Hykeham Energy from Waste Facility (EfW) was constructed as part of Lincolnshire Council’s strategy to reduce waste to landfill and provide a sustainable, safe and affordable waste treatment solution. The facility has been operational since 2014 and can treat 150,000 tonnes of residual waste each year.

Not only is the plant efficiently treating both residual household and commercial waste, but has a capacity to produce approximately 11MW of renewable energy which is fed into the national grid. This is enough electricity to power over 15,000 homes.

Prominently located within the local community of North Hykeham, the EfW was built close to the historic town of Lincoln. A visitor centre at the facility was also provided to allow schools and other groups to learn about sustainable waste management and energy recovery.

The challenge

Energy from waste can be a controversial issue and it is very important that any new facility considers all potential risks posed by the development at the earliest design stage, such as the location of the facility, and its impact on the local community. The main issues that EfW schemes are often met with are fears from the local and surrounding communities on the toxic outputs and emissions that could be emitted, as well as the disruption that increased traffic will pose to the local area. 

A lot of care and thought went into the planning and design phase of the North Hykeham facility which has helped provide an Energy from Waste solution that met the requirements of future legislation standards, and also provided a sustainable solution for residual waste treatment that is both sympathetic to its surrounding areas and the local community. 

The solution

The building is 190m long, 30m wide and at its peak reaches 45m high with a chimney stack of 75m. The curved roof which houses both the tipping hall and boiler hall is intersected by a refined rectilinear form containing the other process areas which extends at roof level to create a grand colonnade that reinforces the ‘civic’ façade of the building where the visitor centre and administration facilities are sited. 

The facility, visible on the Lincolnshire landscape, near Whisby called for a robust cladding solution that was durable enough to withstand the test of time and  hold its aesthetics for many years to come. Built using Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra^® pre-finished steel, the facility was provided with an external façade that is not only long-lasting, robust and durable, but also delivers a visually striking appearance to the facility.

The North Hykeham facility was a design, build and operate contract. Designed as a combined heat and power plant the facility uses high-tech machinery to burn waste at very high temperatures, therefore removing the need for it to be sent to landfill sites. The process also allows for further sustainable success through steam generation which is used to power electricity generating turbines that supply the electrical power back to the National Grid.

Super durable Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra^® was chosen for the external face to provide the facility with a robust long-lasting aesthetic appearance with Rockspan Extra wall panel from Euroclad Group.

Energy from waste processing has to be carried out to the most stringent standards. As well as ensuring that the facility is managed safely and within environmental standards all energy from waste facilities are required to meet the relevant legislation, and need to be designed and built in line with appropriate codes and standards, with maintenance and inspections regularly carried out to ensure that they are operating correctly. 

When assessing the insurance risk, a number of factors including the building fabric to be used must be taken into account. Insurance companies have a particular interest in the protection afforded to the asset and may often specify additional fire performance testing for certain building components. The main structure of the North Hykeham EfW is clad with Euroclad Group's 150mm thick Rockspan Extra wall panels. The weatherside of the Rockspan Extra was manufactured using Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra^® in Jade and Black.

The combination of the Colorcoat^® pre-finished steel choice and the high density stone wool core provided a system that was fully tested and approved to a two-hour fire resistance rating to BS476 part 22 and EN 1364.1. The cladding is also certified to Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) LPS1181 Part 1 and LPS1208 standards, and met the robust fire performance requirements set by the insurance companies involved.

For further reassurance, Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra® used for the weatherside of conventional building envelope applications comes with the Confidex® Guarantee for up to 40 years when registered for online. This provides a contractual relationship between Tata Steel and the building owner meaning in the event of a claim the contact with Tata Steel is direct.