Rookery South Energy from Waste facility has commenced operations after three years of construction. Working for the main contractor, Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI), Doran Consulting carried out the civil and structural engineering design for the plant, which will divert 545,000 tonnes of waste per year from landfill and use it to generate 60MW of renewable energy- enough to power 112,500 homes.
The plant is located near Stewartby, Bedfordshire, and was constructed in a former clay pit. Complex earthworks and foundation construction were required, including ground improvement for the building structures and reinforced earth embankments to form the tipping hall access ramp. Site-wide civil engineering works involved roads, hardstandings, a settlement pond and a new junction with the public highway.
The main buildings were constructed on reinforced concrete foundation slabs ranging from 800mm to 1200mm thick and included numerous channels and gullies for drainage and pits for cables and pipes which were cast into the slab. The waste bunker, with 600mm thick reinforced concrete walls, was constructed by slip forming. The structural steel frame was designed and detailed to fit around the process structures and equipment, and in some areas took support from it to increase the efficiency of the structural design.
The entire facility, including the complex network of site-wide underground services, was modelled in 3D to facilitate coordination with process equipment and we worked closely with HZI’s design and construction teams to ensure a smooth build process.
