UK’s energy from waste operator, enfinium, has announced plans to roll out innovative carbon measurement technology across all its operational facilities by the close of 2024. This advanced technology will also be integrated into the two new sites currently under construction in Kelvin and Skelton Grange, starting in 2025.
The Energy from Waste (EfW) operator intends to utilise radiocarbon dating technology to track carbon removals once carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems are in place. Radiocarbon dating, commonly used in fields like archaeology and healthcare, helps determine whether CO2 emissions from waste feedstock are biogenic or fossil-derived.
By deploying this new technology, Enfinium aims to accurately measure the durable carbon removals its facilities will generate, which is essential for participating in both voluntary and compliance carbon markets, as well as achieving its net-zero goals.
In May 2024, Enfinium introduced its Net Zero Transition Plan, committing £1.7 billion ($2.2 billion) to install CCS across its facilities. This effort is expected to remove up to 1.2 million tonnes of carbon annually. The carbon-14 measurement technology, supplied by ENVEA, has been in trial at Enfinium’s Kemsley facility since January 2024.
Jane Atkinson CBE, Chief Operating Officer at enfinium said, “enfinium is transitioning into a carbon removals business and with carbon capture and storage technology deployed across our facilities, we could generate over 1.2 million tonnes of durable carbon removals every year.”
Atkinson added, “Robust monitoring, reporting and verification of emissions is critical to scaling the carbon removals market and building confidence from buyers, investors and policymakers. By using carbon-14 technology, we will be able to measure the amount of biogenic carbon we are capturing and storing from society’s unrecyclable waste.”
