Bradwell with Pattiswick Parish Council

Please see below answers to four new questions that have arisen recently in relation to the plume, which will also be uploaded to the FAQ page of our Rivenhall IWMF website today:

Issued following an update from the Environment Agency

We have received a detailed update from the Environment Agency regarding the commissioning of the Indaver Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facility. This post summarises the key points to help keep our local community informed.

Waste Acceptance and Hot Commissioning

Indaver began accepting waste on 21 July 2025, following approval from the Environment Agency that all pre-operational permit conditions had been met.

Hot commissioning—which involves burning waste to test and optimise the plant’s systems—is scheduled to begin during the week commencing 4 August 2025. This is a major milestone in the plant’s operational readiness.

Odour and Steam/Smoke Reports

The Environment Agency has acknowledged receiving recent reports of odour and visible steam/smoke emissions from the site. These have come from:

• Members of the public
• The local liaison group
• Indaver
• Calls to the Environment Agency's pollution hotline

These concerns were also raised and discussed at the latest liaison group meeting.

Understanding the Cause

During the early commissioning stages, particularly the initial heat-up of the boiler, it is normal to experience temporary odours. This is due to the drying of the refractory insulation materials inside the boiler.

Odours may also arise during:

• Boiler boiling-out

• Testing and optimisation of burners

• Steam blowing

• Waste reception and storage

However, once hot commissioning begins, no odour should be produced from the actual waste combustion process.

Steam emissions and occasional dark smoke may also occur during testing of auxiliary burners and steam blowing, especially as the air-cooled condenser is not yet operational. These emissions are expected to be temporary and are covered by the approved commissioning plan and odour management plan.

The Environment Agency notes that weather conditions and lighting can make steam or smoke plumes look more significant than they actually are.

Ongoing Oversight and Monitoring

Several recent site inspections have been carried out by the Environment Agency, including:

• General inspection (15 May 2025)

• Cold commissioning and smoke testing (8 July 2025)

• Steam blowing inspection (16 July 2025)

These visits are part of the Agency’s routine compliance programme, which will continue throughout the commissioning phase.

All reports, permit submissions, and correspondence are made available on the Environment Agency’s public register.

How to Report a Concern

We understand the local community may have concerns as this facility moves closer to full operation. If you see or experience anything unusual—such as strong odours, dark smoke, or any activity that seems potentially harmful to the environment—please report it directly to the Environment Agency.

📞 24-hour Incident Hotline: 0800 80 70 60

Your reports will be investigated by the Environment Agency and help ensure Indaver remains compliant with their permit.

We will continue to share updates as they become available.

Please note that we received the following update from INDAVER yesterday regarding the steam blow-out as part of the commissioning process.

Concerns were raised about the initial blow-out occurring at 7:00 AM, which was considered too early. Following discussions, INDAVER has now formally agreed that no steam blow-outs will take place before 8:30 AM. In practice, it is expected these will happen later in the day regardless.

You may also notice steam emitting from the roof of the building this morning. Please be assured that this is part of a different commissioning activity, which does not produce any noise and is not related to the steam blow.