Incinerator burning clinical waste to generate Royal Free Hospital’s electricity

Published: 18 March 2010
by TOM FOOT

THE incinerator burning “clinical waste” at the Royal Free is to be used to generate power at the Hampstead hospital in a new cost-cutting drive.

Press officers at the Pond Street hospital would not confirm exact details of what would be going into the energy-creating furnace but in the past “clinical waste” has meant bright yellow bags containing everything from bodily fluids, nappies and used syringes.

The waste has been burned on site for more than a decade but hospital bosses believe it can now be transformed into a energy centre which will save the cash-strapped hospital hundreds of thousands of pounds every year.

Martyn Jeffery, the hospital’s director of estates, added: “This project will give us guaranteed carbon and cost savings for the next 15 years.”

Three giant boilers, weighing a combined 60 tonnes and first installed in 1996, are being removed and the centre should be up and running by the end of the year. 

Hospital bosses have been investigating “waste-to-energy” sys­tems as a solution to an impending NHS funding crisis and to meet strict government environment targets.

The hospital is facing a 22 per cent drop in funding over the next five years as part of widespread cuts being blamed on the recession. 

Renewable energy firm Mitie Healthcare Energy Services Ltd has been awarded the £12 million contract to transform the way the incinerator works.

A hospital spokeswoman said: “The project construction costs will be repaid at about £800,000 per year throughout the 15 year contract. 

It is anticipated that the project will be completely funded by the energy savings that the new energy centre makes. 

Mitie have guaranteed perfor­mance of the new energy centre and have also committed to using its specialist capa­bilities to introduce more carbon and cost saving innovations over the 15 year term.”