A retained water supply agreement is helping to safeguard continuous operations at one of the UK’s longest-serving energy-from-waste plants.
Photo: London Energy energy fom waste facility
London Energy, which processes much of North London’s non-recyclable waste and generates electricity for the National Grid, relies on demineralised water to keep its boilers and turbines operating.
With limited onsite storage capacity, any delay in replenishment risked halting waste processing entirely – with potential knock-on effects including increased landfill disposal, financial penalties and interruption to electricity output.
To address this, London Energy signed up to a new WaterTight assured response package from Water Direct, which guarantees mobilisation of two dedicated water tankers within 14 hours of a call being placed.
Initially agreed as a two-year arrangement, the contract has since been extended to three years, providing continuity until a planned infrastructure upgrade in 2027.
Ben Hillyear, Operations Manager at London Energy, said:
“This was an essential service to put in place. Given the specialist nature of the product, we knew that there could be long lead times from the point of call to delivery.
“Having a guaranteed response time enabled our production team to plan better and ensure the facility continued to produce power.”
The arrangement reduces the operational risk of downtime, while ensuring waste continues to be diverted from landfill and electricity production remains uninterrupted.
Bill Wootten, Director of Business Development of Water Direct said:
“WaterTight is designed for sites where water supply is critical to continuous operations. By setting guaranteed response times and allocating resources in advance, we provide assurance that production can continue even if primary sources are disrupted.
“For London Energy, that means avoiding stoppages and maintaining service for the community it supports.”
The Edmonton-based facility plays a key role in North London’s waste strategy, converting non-recyclable waste into energy and helping to meet landfill diversion targets. While it operates a closed-loop water system to recycle demineralised water, the combination of ageing infrastructure and limited storage made a proactive contingency essential.
By securing guaranteed supply through Water Direct, London Energy has strengthened its resilience planning and ensured stability until the upcoming site upgrade.
The agreement highlights the value of pre-arranged contingency measures in reducing risk for industrial operations dependent on specialist inputs.
Water Direct continues to work with organisations across sectors to help them strengthen resilience and ensure continuity where water is critical to operations.
With the UK government demanding a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by 2029, the era of reactive management is over. Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025, then environment secretary Steve Reed said, “This Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of the decade.”
ERG, the leading supplier of odour control systems and industrial gas cleaning & thermal systems, has been awarded the coveted King’s Award for Enterprise.
Welsh Water’s new artificial intelligence-driven tool, ORAI, has been shortlisted for three categories at the prestigious British Data Awards 2026 – underscoring the company’s commitment to using cutting-edge technology to deliver better outcome for customers.
Barhale has completed work on two separate Rapid Action Taskforce Spills projects it is carrying out for Severn Trent.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.