Energy from Waste Facility at Lakeside, London, UK—An Economic and Sustainable Solution to Waste Management

Abstract

The Lakeside Energy from Waste (EfW) plant is a state-of-the-art facility to convert household, commercial and industrial waste into electrical energy by utilising the heat energy generated from an incineration process to power a super-heated steam turbine. The plant is situated to the west of London, UK, and is incorporated into the existing waste handling strategies in the area. EfW facilities are subjected to very stringent planning processes and have always demanded a high level of architectural presence to satisfy these requirements. Therefore the process equipment is placed inside a large open-spaced steelwork framed shell. This requirement generated a number of structural design and construction challenges for the steelwork frame, including the provision of hybrid columns and large-span curved cellular roof beams. The EfW process requires a continual supply of waste material. In order to facilitate the required volume of material, it is necessary to form a bunker structure within the ground and to extend the walls to the elevated tipping hall floor. Construction of this deep bunker in poor ground conditions necessitated the use of secant piles and innovative slip-form techniques.