Tremorfa Food Waste Anaerobic Digestion Plant

Constructing Excellence

The project was for the design and construction of a 35,000t per annum Anaerobic Digestion Facility on a Brownfield site in Cardiff. The project consisted of Reception Building, Tank Farm, Bunded enclosure.

Challenges on the project were:

  • Design and Build
  • Changes to guidelines since outline planning consent
    • CIRIA Guidelines – changes from earthworks bund to reinforced concrete to prevent flooding from failure of the holding tank
  • New planning submission
    • Initial scheme and planning had been gained based upon outdated CIRIA guidelines
  • Asbestos contamination
    • Engaged specialist consultants
    • At source and perimeter air monitoring
    • Full PPE protection – disposable overalls, full face mask etc
    • Segregation of clean and dirty areas
    • Controlled site access.
  • Knotweed contamination
    • Hot spots of knotweed contamination & removal to licenced tip
  • Redesigned layout
    • Catastrophic failure modelling should a failure of the holding tanks occur.
    • Options for layout – reconfiguring of site layout for optimal operational efficiency.
  • Difficult ground conditions
    • Site lay in area of reclaimed land
    • Approximately 10m of fused slag overlying estuarine muds.
    • Obstructions within the fused slag – 1.50m dia. 75mm thick pig iron waste formed the steel ladles, form the previous GKN Steelworks