Rivenhall Integrated Waste Management Facility

Overview

Rivenhall Integrated Waste Management Facility, Rivenhall Airfield, Woodhouse Lane. Also known as Indaver Rivenhall Limited, Energy from Waste Plant

What is the page for?

To provide an update about the ongoing commissioning activities at the energy from waste plant at Rivenhall Integrated Waste Management Facility.

September 2025 Update

What has happened since our last update in July 2025?

Commissioning activities have continued at the site. Phases 4/5 ‘First Firing with Waste followed by commissioning and optimisation of the whole installation’ are in progress. Activities are defined within the agreed Commissioning Plan subject to the permit. This includes burning of waste at various loads, increasing to the maximum continuous rating/load. Checks of performance of systems is continuous throughout these phases.

There are defined air emission limits within the agreed commissioning plan for each phase of commissioning.

Phases 4 and 5 will continue until later this month when Phase 6 ‘Functional Testing’ of systems will commence for further verification.

Application - Variation V003

As you may be aware from previous communications, Indaver Rivenhall Limited has applied to vary a permit for an energy from waste plant at Rivenhall Airfield, Woodhouse Lane, Kelvedon, Essex, CO5 9DF. We held our first online public consultation on the permit variation application from 12/12/2024 to 07/02/2025.

We have now carefully considered all the information provided in the variation application, further information that we requested from the operator, and the comments we received on the application, including those from the local community. 

We have found no reason to refuse the variation application and so we are now minded to grant the variation and are consulting on our draft decision.  

The Environment Agency consultation on our draft decision is now live with a deadline until 02 October 2025.

https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/psc/co5-9df-indaver-rivenhall-limited-epr-cp3906lp-v3/  

Please provide comments as confirmed on the online system.

Recent reports about the site during commissioning activities

We have been made aware by members of the local liaison group, Indaver and members of the public using our pollution hotline of recent reports of potential odour and reports of a visible plume/steam from the facility. We provide the following information regarding our position regarding these events. 

Odour

During commissioning we acknowledge there is potential for odour during the drying of the refractory insulation binder. The reason for this is that during these activities there are different operating temperatures involved will lead to a differing amount of drying/duration of drying. We understand during Phases 4 and 5 that as the plant is initially heated that odour may still potentially be generated, although the intensity will be less than earlier in the commissioning process and as time passes.

There is also the potential for odour to be generated during waste acceptance and from storage activities. There should be no odour associated with the burning of the waste once hot commissioning starts.

Waste deliveries - Odours from waste vehicles during the transport of waste to the site are outside of the controls of the environmental permit. The Environment Agency has power in relation to the physical escape of waste while it is being transported. We have no control over odours that may be caused by this activity. Odour from waste in vehicles is the responsibility of the vehicle operators not the local district/city/borough council or the Environment Agency. Although we can’t comment on their regulation, our experience is that it is often challenging for them to take action when the odour is transitory in nature. Once deliveries arrive on site our position is that we expect the operator to take appropriate measures to prevent or where not practicable minimise odour emissions as defined within their approved odour management plan submitted under pre-operational condition PO9/condition 2.5.1 to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of the environmental permit.

Visible Plume/steam emissions during commissioning

Visible Plume - We have received a number of reports of a visible plume from the facility. The visibility of the plume is a matter subject to the relevant conditions of the planning permission. We have reviewed the reports and checked the associated monitoring data from the plant which demonstrates that permitted emission limits within the commissioning plan have been complied at the time of the reports. But we have received notification of breaches of the emission limits from the operator. Further information is provided below.

Steam emissions - We expect emissions of steam from the site during commissioning activities as part of the steam process involves venting to atmosphere. It is understood as the plant is commissioned the frequency of venting will reduce.

There is limited potential risk to the environment as a result of these activities providing the operator takes appropriate measures, as outlined in the commissioning plan to manage these and ensure compliance with emission limits. It is important to note that weather conditions/light may influence the visibility/perception of the plume.

Compliance

Visits

The following compliance visits have been recently undertaken at the site;

• 30 July 2025 - General Site Inspection - Commissioning Progress - Receipt and storage of waste - Tipping Hall/Control room.
• 14 August 2025 - General Site Inspection - Receipt and storage of waste - Tipping Hall - Waste mixing/management /Control room - emissions monitoring.

We will provide inspection reports for these visits to Indaver.

Our compliance visits will continue during the commissioning phases now that waste is being accepted by the site. The commissioning phases and associated activities are defined within the agreed commissioning plan.

Notification of emission breaches

We have received the following notification of emission breaches from Indaver.

August 22, 2025 - Total Particulate Matter

Line 1 - 4x breaches of 30 min emission limit (22:29h - 23:59h) - Limit 100mg/m3 - Max 141.8 mg/m3.

Line 1 - breach of daily emission limit - Limit 30mg/m3 - Max 30.3mg/m3.

August 23, 2025 - Total Particulate Matter (note consider part of the same event on 22/08)

Line 1 - 15x breaches of 30 min emission limit (00:29h - 06:59h and 09:59 - 10:29h) - Limit 100mg/m3 - Max 203.8mg/m3.

Line 1 - breach of daily emission limit - Limit 30mg/m3 - Max 93.3mg/m3.

August 23, 2025 - Ammonia

Line 2 - breach of daily emission limit - Limit 10mg/m3 - Max 12.7mg/m3.

August 24, 2025 - Ammonia

Line 2 - breach of daily emission limit - Limit 10mg/m3 - Max 10.3mg/m3.

These breaches relate to specific events which have now been resolved with further measures taken by the operator to minimise the risk of re-occurrence.

However, we expect the operator to comply with the requirements of the permit and associated commissioning plan at all times. These breaches and the root cause are subject to ongoing compliance review/investigation in accordance with our procedures;

• How you'll be regulated: environmental permits - GOV.UK – (including compliance assessment and enforcement).
• Waste operations and installations: assessing and scoring environmental permit compliance - GOV.UK
• Environment Agency enforcement and sanctions policy - GOV.UK

All inspection reports, submissions made in accordance with the conditions of the permit and associated correspondence will be made available on our public registers.